Watcher of Arcues
by The Shadow Master of Weapons
Summary: The Arceus bloodline is far from an ordinary line of humans. For generations, this bloodline has been keeping watch for the return of an ancient evil. Serving as the eyes and ears of Arceus, they have many gifts. Follow the story of Thomas and his chosen path in life to help keep the balance in check and protect Arceus. Along the way, he will be tested in many full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.  
_'Character Thought'_  
(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Beta Reader: Catsithx / Ajwf

Full Summary: The Arceus bloodline is far from an ordinary line of humans. For generations, this bloodline has been keeping watch for the return of an ancient evil. Serving as the eyes and ears of Arceus, they have many gifts. Follow the story of Thomas and his chosen path in life to help keep the balance in check and protect Arceus. Along the way, he will be tested in many ways before he realizes what it means to be a Watcher of Arceus.

xXx

Chapter 1:

The rain was coming down hard on the forest. Even with a heavy canopy, the mass of rain still made it down to the forest floor in sheets. The three figures unfortunately caught in the rain ran as fast as they could through downpour towards a Pokemon Center they knew was in the area. The first, a human, was jumping over large fallen branches as he ran. Even with the goggles over his eyes, it was still a bit hard to see with all the water. His clothes were completely soaked, his boots partially sinking into the muddy ground, but his pack was thankfully waterproof. "I can't believe how fast this storm came in," He shouted to his partners; an Espeon who, rather than jump over the branches, ran under them, and a Ninetales whose white fur had been turned slightly brown by the rain and mud. As if to answer, the little Espeon turned and nodded her head, waiting for her human companion to catch up.

Even with the rain as heavy as it was, things still got worse. Now, instead of just a heavy downpour of rain, lighting flashed across the sky and thunder shook the area. At last, the Pokemon Center came into view in a small clearing. Now with a chance to look to the sky, the human knew that the storm was bad. Storm clouds seemed to extend out over the entire forest without showing any signs of letting up soon. Rushing to the center, all three of them immediately charged inside.

"We have seen some crazy weather, but that about tops the list." The human said, looking himself over and shaking his head. Removing his blue tinted goggles, he knew that it was going to be a long night.

"Hello?" A voice called out from down one of the corridors. Turning towards the source of the voice, the human and his Pokemon companions were greeted by Nurse Joy.

"Oh, Thomas. I was expecting to see you a day or two ago." Nurse Joy stated smiling at the trainer before her. "I'm glad to see Radara is traveling with you. How old is she now?" The Espeon lifted up a paw, water dripping down from her fur. She gave a small whine, obviously hoping that she could get someone to dry her off. "Alright, I'll get you a towel," Joy smiled as she looked at Thomas and the Ninetales. "I guess you all could use a few towels."

"Yes, we really could do with a few towels. That storm is rather nasty. As for how old she is, I don't know. She belonged to my father before he passed away." Thomas stated as another rather close clap of thunder shook the center.

"I'm sorry you never got to know him." Nurse Joy stated. "He died when you were very young didn't he?"

"That's right. I hear he was quite a good fellow." Thomas replied.

"At least you had the Falston's to raise you. They are a good family." Nurse joy smiled. "Well, I'll go get those towels now."

The Ninetales looked out at the storm and just passed a rather annoyed look Thomas as Nurse Joy walked off to get some towels. The Ninetales then gave Radara a small nod before looking back at Thomas. _'After all this time, shouldn't you know when it is going to rain by now.' _Radara immediately transferred the thought to Thomas's mind.

"Don't go there, Juno, traveling and staying out of the public eye are what I do best." Thomas stated as soon as he saw that Joy was out of earshot. "I never studied the weather."

"Alright, here are the towels. You can use the showers to clean up, I'll just need your Pokedex." Nurse smiled handing the towels to Thomas as he pulled out his Pokedex from one of the two waterproof pouches attached to his belt.

"Could you give my other Pokemon a quick check up as well please?" Thomas asked pulling three of the five pokeballs off his belt to go with the Pokedex.

"It's been a little over a year and you still haven't added any new Pokemon to your team?" Nurse Joy asked.

"You know that I do more traveling then battling for badges. Besides, Radara is often more than enough for anything I might come across." Thomas looked down to his small partner who nodded her head still wanting someone to dry her off.

"I'll take care of your Pokemon while you go get a shower and wash up. Then I'll look at Radara and Juno once you're done." Nurse Joy stated starting to walk into the back to take care of the Pokemon she was handed.

After a short twenty minutes, Thomas came out of the showers wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. He carried his bag and belt over his back as he walked out of the shower with a pair of clean and dry Pokemon following him. Now washed up, he took a quick look at himself in a nearby mirror. His long uneven black hair would need a haircut soon, but after spending a few weeks in a cave system, he has expected that much. He took a chance to look at the scar over his blue eyes that reached all the way across his forehead, a reminder to watch himself more carefully when in the caves. "Ah Thomas, I've already given you're Pokemon a room. I've let them out like I remember you've always done when you're here."

"Thanks. Which room did you put them in?" Thomas asked.

"Room 18, the same room I always give you." Nurse Joy replied. "Now give me a few and I'll let you know how well they're doing."

"Alright, I'll be waiting out here then." Thomas stated nodding his head at Juno and Radara.

"I'll be right back." Nurse Joy led the two Pokemon down one of the halls.

"This almost reminds of me that storm the day I started my journey. It was just as bad back then as it is now." Thomas took a seat by the doors to watch the storm as lightning danced across the sky. He then decided to look at a calendar to see what day it was. "You've got to be kidding me. My birthday is tomorrow?" Thomas brought his head down in thought, trying to figure out how he had lost track of the date. "I really have to get that PokeNav of mine fixed."

After waiting for a few more minutes, Nurse Joy walked back in with Thomas's remaining by his side. "All of you Pokemon are doing just fine. I'm happy to report that I rarely see Pokemon who are so fit even after long times of travel between rests. Especially ones like Radara who almost never rest in a pokeball."

"Thanks." Thomas replied to Nurse Joy. "Come on you two. I don't know about the two of you, but I would like to get some sleep." Already knowing what room he would be staying in, Thomas started off for his room.

Opening the door to the room, Thomas wasn't surprised to see this three other Pokemon already resting on the pair of bunk beds in the room. The group of them had been out just before the storm hiking along after a day of hard training. On the left side bunk, Thomas found his Zangoose, Razor curled up around his Floatzel, Aqua on the top. He smiled knowing that the two of them made a good couple, but he still felt a small hint of sadness knowing that there wouldn't be someone for him to share his life because of what he really was. Looking down at the bunk below them, he found his Shiny Lucario, Rebecca lying back on the bottom bunk. Judging from the way she was laying on her side, it looked like she was hoping someone might join her. Walking over to the empty bunk bed, Thomas placed one hand on the railing of the top bunk and then jumped up onto the bed, lying down. Juno got on the bottom bunk of the right hand bed and curled up using her tails to cover her face. Finally Radara was on the bottom bunk taking up a small amount of space for herself and Juno used a few of her tails to cover up for the night.

xXx

By morning, the majority of the storm had passed. As Thomas woke up, he felt that he had a guest sleeping with him. Looking down, he was partially surprised to see Rebecca there with him. Given just how strong the storm was, he understood why she had joined him. He had found her the night her parents had been killed. It was almost eight years to the day that he had found her. Not even a week after he had left the Falston Manor, he got caught in a major storm.

Thomas had just left the Falston Manor located just north of Rustboro City. With his family working for the Devon Corporation, they were never at a loss for money. Between the fact that both Mr. and Mrs. Falston were working as scientists for the company, Thomas could have lived a simple life, but it wasn't for him. No, Thomas just had to travel. Packed with just two Pokemon his biological father had owned before he died and his own basic traveling gear, Thomas left with Radara and Juno. He had decided to head south first and make his way to Petalburg City

Thomas just passed through Petalburg woods the day before when a massive storm showed up on Route 104. Caught along the coast just a day from his targeted location, he was forced to cover under a large maple tree along the roadside. While there were other trees nearby, none of them offered him much protection. With nowhere else to seek cover from the storm, he shared his tree with a number of other wild Pokemon. Many flying types occupied the branches above him as he waited out the storm while a few grass types gather on the far side of the tree.

As the storm grew worse, a family of Lucario and a young Riolu hurried their way to the same very tree he had been under looking for cover. Sticking along the tree line offering a little bit of cover, an unfortunate stray bolt of lighting stuck the tree that they had been passing under. Both of the Lucario were buried underneath the fallen branches. Without thinking, Thomas ran over and unburied the group. While the Riolu looked fine, scared but fine, her parents weren't so lucky. Her father was killed on impact of the massive branch colliding with his skull. As for the Riolu's mother, she had suffered a serious blow to her stomach and arms. With little else to do, Thomas grabbed out one of his spare pokeballs and used it on the mother. Seeing just how scared the little Riolu was, Thomas grabbed her and hurried back over to the tree rather then try to capture her.

Once the storm had passed Thomas carried the little Riolu and her mother he had captured over to the Petalburg Pokemon Center. He was too late to save the mother Lucario however, which left him with an orphaned Riolu. Luckily, the little Riolu quickly attached herself to Thomas and even eight years later, she had continued to grow close to him. Now Rebecca and Thomas were very close.

Looking towards the window in the room after making sure no one was looking; his eyes began to glow as the window shade raised itself. Rain still hit the window, but the storm had died down to nothing more then a shower. He looked at the weather with a slight hint of sadness; he was hoping to be back at the manor by the end of the day. However, with this rain and the storm last night, it would cost him a day by forcing him to avoid the low-lying path he had wanted to take. While his chosen path was rather fast, it quickly collected all the runoff from the storms that gathered in the area because it was so low in the ground.

"What a way to spend the day." Thomas sighed, unintentionally waking Rebecca while attempting to move out form under her.

Rebecca yawned looking around and seeing Thomas there she smiled welcoming the morning. She moved enough so that Thomas could get down while she stretched her arms out giving another yawn. Getting down off the bunk, Thomas took a quick look around at his other Pokemon. Razor and Aqua were still curled up with each other. From the way the Floatzel was resting, Thomas had a clear view of her stomach and the scar that she got just before joining Thomas's team with Razor.

It was roughly three years ago that Thomas had been wandering off the coast near Lilycove City when he came across an injured Zangoose lying over a nearly dead Buziel, a large gash on its stomach. Just like he had done with Rebecca and her parents long ago, he rushed over pulling out two of his spare Pokeballs. Even though the Zangoose put a fight, it was still too weak to fight off the Pokeball that Thomas had used. He quickly rushed to the Pokemon Center. Thankfully, he had made it fast enough to center this time to save them both.

It was shortly after arriving at the Lilycove Pokemon center that Thomas met the previous trainer of both Pokemon. He would have left it alone, but when he started hearing about how the trainer was mocking and insulting the Pokemon before proudly claiming to have just of left them to fend for themselves after a double-battle, Thomas lost it. He walked right up to the trainer and told him just how badly injured they were to which the trainer pointed out that was why he got rid of them when he did. Before anyone in the lobby of the Pokemon Center could react, Thomas had already drawn back his fist. When he brought his fist back down, there was a mass of sparks erupted from the point of impact. The trainer was sent flying back from his seat and those around him all looked up in shock seeing a still sparking fist that Thomas was holding in his free hand.

He smiled looking down at the two Pokemon sleeping with each other and gently shook them. He gave a low whistle to wake up Juno and Radara as well. Thomas opened the door to his room as the rest of his Pokemon began to move. He led Razor, Aqua, and Rebecca to the showers before anyone else got up letting them clean themselves. Since all three of them had hand like paws that meant that they could easily wash themselves leaving Thomas to go prepare breakfast.

Just as Thomas was walking out of the trainer's kitchen, he saw his three Pokemon running over to greet him for the hallway that led to the showers. He smiled as they joined him heading for a table that Radara and Juno had picked out. Like always it was a light breakfast. An assorted batch of berries for his Pokemon to go with the cups and bowls of juice he had picked out. For himself, he had prepared himself a few strips of bacon to go with the berries he had gotten for himself. "Alright guys, I guess we'll be spending the day here. We could all use a break." Thomas announced while they ate.

As they finished, a number of the other trainers started to gather around as they got their own breakfast. Radara had chosen to spend her free time relaxing. Out of all of Thomas's Pokemon, Radara was the only one who has only seen a pokeball in the direst of circumstances. Otherwise, she would do all the same traveling as Thomas did meaning that she would make the most of her down time. As for Thomas and Juno, they decided to head to one of the smaller lobbies just to rest for a while. While Thomas was reading a book he had bought a short time ago, Juno would most likely spend the time sleeping. While Juno may have been a bit lazy with her down time, when it came time to move out or a battle had risen, she was always ready to take on the challenge.

Razor and Aqua were looking for a place to relax themselves. The two of them decided to head to a small pond the center was built next too. A large fence kept the wild Pokemon out of lake and informed other trainers that the Pokemon there already had trainers. It also had a large pavilion cover to keep out flying Pokemon. In the end, this left Rebecca to try and figure out how to spend her free time.

Looking around for something to do, Rebecca found herself outside by the pond. _'Is something wrong?'_ Radara asked. Rebecca turned to see Radara resting on a large flat rock beside the center.

'_I can't take my mind off Thomas. I've been watching him closely for the last few days and while his smile says he's happy, his aura says he's sad. This morning, he seemed really sad and even a little stressed out. While he can hide it physically, I can still see it in his aura.'_ Rebecca replied.

'_Thomas is fine.'_ Radara explained. _'He was just hoping to be back home by tonight.'_

'_What for?'_ Rebecca asked.

'_An old friend was supposed to meet him as the manor tonight.' _Radara informed Rebecca. _'I just found we spent an extra two days down in that cave system. With his PokeNav broken, we all lost track of just how many days we spent down there.'_

'_Wait, isn't today the twelfth?'_ Rebecca asked.

'_No, it's the fourteenth.'_ Radara replied.

Rebecca's eyes shot open upon the sudden realization of what today really was. '_Then that means today is his…'_ Radara just nodded her head. _'That's why he told us to take a break. It will take us at least two days to get back to the manor because of all the rain.'_

'Unfortunately, traveling as much as we do, we don't always have a chance to celebrate for every occasion,' Radara explained.

'_I have no idea what to get him for his birthday this year. I almost forgot about it,'_ Rebecca admitted. _'But what can I do for him out here?'_

'_I can't really help you with that.'_ Radara stated.

(What's going on?) Aqua asked as she swam up with Razor by his side.

'_I can't figure out what to give Thomas for his birthday.'_ Rebecca replied.

(That's right his birthday is coming up soon.) Razor stated climbing out of the water. (It's tomorrow isn't it?)

'_No, its today.'_ Rebecca corrected thinking hard about what to give him.

(I thought it was still the thirteenth.) Aqua tilted her head some slightly confused.

'_We all lost track of time down in those caves. With Thomas's PokeNav broken and no sun to tell us just how many days had passed, we all had to guess.'_ Radara informed them.

(That makes sense.) Razor added. (But personally, I'd rather be above ground then below it any day.)

(Hey Rebecca, why don't you just make him a meal. You always were a good cook.) Aqua stated trying to help Rebecca.

'_I can't do that here. They won't let Pokemon use the kitchen unattended by their trainers,.'_ Rebecca countered. _'It wouldn't be a surprise then.'_

(That is true.) Razor added.

Looking through one of the windows, Rebecca saw Thomas taking a look at the group. Despite his friendly smile, she could clearly see that he wasn't happy, but also fairly stressed over something. _'He tries to hide it, but he's really starting to stress out. I can't think of any reason for it though.'_ Rebecca told the group. _'It's not like we have to be somewhere and he doesn't fight for badges often enough to try for the Pokemon league.'_

'_He just has a lot on his mind right now.'_ Radara informed Rebecca. _'You shouldn't worry about him so much. He can take good care of himself.'_

'_I can't help it. I don't like seeing him stressed out like this. It makes him sad and we all know that he tries his best to keep his problems to himself. Why can't he just let me help him out with whatever is bothering him?'_ Rebecca asked her head dropping down a bit because she couldn't figure out how to help him. She really wanted to help cheer him up, but she didn't have anything she could give him as a gift and what things she could make like a cake would require him to keep an eye over her while she made them at the Pokemon center. _'Oh why can't he tell me what's wrong.'_

Radara looked at Thomas through the window and her eyes flashed blue showing that she was using her psychic abilities for a second. _'Rebecca, I'm not sure if Thomas would want me to tell you this, but come with me. I might be able to help. Follow me and we can have a talk in private.'_

'_Okay?'_ Rebecca was a bit confused.

(Later Radara, later Rebecca.) Aqua shouted as they walked off before Aqua jumped back into the water.

Radara led Rebecca back to the room they had spent the night in. Using her psychic abilities, she opened the door and walked in with Rebecca right behind her. _'Close that door, I would prefer if we kept this between ourselves for now.'_ Radara stepped onto the bottom bunk on the left side of the room and motioned for Rebecca to come join her. _'How much do you know about Thomas's unique abilities that sets him apart from other humans?'_

'_I know that he has some psychic and electrical abilities that he tries to hide from everyone but you,'_ Rebecca replied.

'_What else do you know?'_ Radara nodded having already guessed that she knew about those abilities, just not how powerful they were.

'_I know that no matter what happens to him, he always seems to be able to get out of any situation alive. He has to be very lucky to keep doing it.'_ Rebecca continued recalling all of the close encounters that Thomas had had only walking away with just a few minor scars.

_'I can tell you this much right now, Thomas's abilities and my own are not so different. We share a common, but unfortunate role in life,_' Radara explained.

Before Rebecca could ask what Radara was talking about, there was a large explosion at the front of the center. Rushing to see what happened Radara and Rebecca find a number of trainers all stuck to the walls thanks to an Ariados's String Shot attack. Thomas and Juno quickly joined the group in the main lobby where Thomas was quickly able to identify who was responsible for the attack. "Hunter J! This wouldn't be the first time I've seen your work, but this time you'll be forced to leave empty handed." Thomas shouted looking at three Pokemon who had already been turned to stone by Hunter J for easy transportation. The first was a Gardevoir while the other two were a pair of infant Eevee. "Juno, Radara, let's go."

'_Thomas!'_ Rebecca telepathically shouted to her trainer.

"Don't worry, they won't get anything!" Thomas shouted back.

Juno quickly started on the offense before anyone knew she was there. She let loose a massive torrent of fire, forcing Hunter J and her army of Ariados and henchmen outside, where Thomas could freely use his abilities. No one other than Hunter J and her henchmen would see him. "Rebecca, get Razor and Aqua and defend the building!" Thomas shouted as he rushed outside followed by Radara and Juno.

Thomas charged in towards the henchmen and Hunter J herself leaving Radara and Juno to deal with the Pokemon. With Juno providing a constant series of powerful Fireballs which kept the enemy Pokemon on the defensive, Radara took the offensive with her psychic mind to lift whatever rocks were around her and sent them flying like bullets. Thomas moved in quickly, surprising the first human he came across. Noticing a small bare patch of skin on her stomach, Thomas planted a firm fist on the bare patch delivering a massive jolt to the lady. The rain that was still coming down only amplified his attack. Sparks flew over her body for a second before she fell over completely disoriented from the attack. Thomas was lucky enough to repeat this same tactic one two more of J's henchmen before they caught on.

One of them, a women much older than himself, and apparently much stronger as well, tackled him into a small puddle just deep enough that it covered half of his body. The woman who had tackled Thomas was just about to punch Thomas, who was smiling. Placing both hands in the water, Thomas used the puddle as a giant conductor sending a powerful stream of electricity through the woman. She quickly fell over, this time unconscious from the attack rather then disoriented like the others.

Thomas got up and spared a look over at Radara and Juno. Both of which were still doing fine. Juno had yet to let anyone get close while Radara teleported them out of danger each time anything came close to hitting them. He could still see that they were getting tired quickly and had to finish this fast. There were still few henchmen left, but Thomas knew that the only way to end this fight to force Hunter J back herself.

Rebecca came outside after getting Razor and Aqua. She now saw the battle before her. Aqua and Razor quickly joined in seeing their master already doing some fighting himself.

One of the henchmen near Hunter J quickly saw Rebecca and smiled. "Don't we have a client looking for a Shiny Lucario?" The man asked, pointing out Rebecca to Hunter J.

"This must be out lucky day," Hunter J stated, taking aim with her wrist-mounted cannon used to capture Pokemon. Just as she was getting ready to fire, Thomas slammed his fist into the man besides her, causing the man to collide into J and causing her to capture one of her henchmen's Pokemon, who was about to land a hit on Juno. Hunter J quickly turned to Thomas out of anger and attempting to grab a Pokeball off her belt, but Thomas was already upon her.

Thomas moved in fast throwing a fist. J smiled as she sidestepped the attack. Thomas quickly attacked again, this time with roundhouse kick that J dodged by ducking down. Still taking the offensive, Thomas attempted to trip J with a low kick, which she once again dodged. _'She's better then I thought'_ Thomas knew that he had to stop this fast. Even with all of his Pokemon helping him, they were still outnumbered three to one at least. He faked a left jab for right hook and finally caught J off guard. She smiled at first thinking that Thomas would to more harm to himself then to her by blocking the attack with her cannon. Things turned out differently however as sparks erupted from Thomas's fist. J's smile turned to a look of shock as Thomas's fist dented her cannon and sparks continued to fly from the broken device. She quickly jumped back and then threw the device at Thomas knowing that he would attempt to throw it to the side. Just as she had planned Thomas attempted to deflect the cannon and thanks to the damage he had already caused, the device blew up when he struck it again.

Rebecca charged towards Thomas upon seeing him take the blast. Just before she could reach him, a sting of web was shot her way. "I'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." J smiled thinking that this run wasn't a total waste yet. "String shot." J called out but before her Pokemon could perform the attack, a large rock hit the Ariados in the side of head causing its attack to miss. "Boy, you're really starting to annoy me!" J shouted at Thomas.

"I have that effect on assholes," Thomas shouted back attempting to stand, but falling back down to his knees instead still a bit disoriented by the blast.

Right as J was about give her Ariados an order to attack Thomas, the sound of sirens broke through the trees. "Fall back." J shouted. She had already lost enough already without Officer Jenny and her band of officers interfering.

J and her most of her henchmen called back their Pokemon. Those four henchmen Thomas has knocked out were stripped of their Pokeballs and left behind as J retreated leaving them behind to slow down the police. Now without interruption, Rebecca rushed over to Thomas who was lying on the ground with an injured arm. Now with a chance to look himself over, Thomas saw that he had a badly burned and slightly torn up arm from the blast as Rebecca dropped down the ground to help him up. Thomas just looked up at her as she kneeled down by him. "I told you that you'd be safe along with all the other Pokemon." Thomas laughed a bit trying to hide his pain but it was no use hiding it against Rebecca. She quickly wrapped her arms around him finally knowing just how important he was to her. Seeing him like was like a knife in her heart. She just couldn't help but cry.

Thomas forced himself to his feet as Officer Jenny ran up.

"Young man, what were you thinking taking on Hunter J like that in person?" Jenny started.

"It was me and my five Pokemon versus the lot of them. I had to end it fast." Thomas replied. "From everything I've been told, she only backs off when she is in trouble herself and cares nothing for others. I figured that if I attacked her directly, I could force her to leave."

"That was a reckless move." Jenny half shouted. "Next time, leave the battling to your Pokemon or you might just get yourself killed."

"And what, stay on the sidelines and just risk the lives of my Pokemon?" Thomas countered. "I don't think so. A legal battle is one thing, but this was as far from legal as it gets." Much to everyone's surprise, Thomas started walking towards the Pokemon Center without showing any signs that he was really hurt keeping his wounded arm next to his chest. As he entered, Thomas saw that all three of the Pokemon that had been turned to stone were all back to normal. Apparently by destroying the cannon, he had freed all the Pokemon that had been captured. Thomas smiled hoping that what Pokemon J had on her ship would be causing as havoc as possible. He quickly left the main lobby heading for his room while Officer Jenny and her crew went to work freeing everyone from the string shot.

"Rebecca, go help out the others." Thomas stated as he started for his room with Radara right behind him. " I need to talk privately with Radara." Thomas added before Rebecca has a chance to argue.

Thomas opened his door and Radara jumped up to the bunk containing his bag. "You've been keeping a close eye on her lately right?" Thomas asked as he pulled out a large roll of bandages out of his bag.

'_Yes I have. Over the eight years she has been with us, she has just realized her love for you.'_ Radara informed Thomas.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I've already lost too many." Thomas stated looking at Radara. "Make that, we have already lost too many."

'_Pokemon views on mating are vastly different then a human's view on the matter. Yes, there were some that I felt truly in love with, but all of them understood what I was.'_ Radara explained. _'I'm sorry that humans can't see things the same way.'_

"I don't want her to know about what we really are. I will not make the same mistakes my father and his father made. Our mission to Arceus is ours and ours alone. The day that it returns, I feel that I can safely release Razor and Aqua, they could easily survive without us and on their own." Thomas looked down at his arm now wrapped up tightly in bandages. He gently flexed his fingers seeing that despite the damage, he still had good use of his hand. "I can't say the same about Rebecca though. I don't think that she would do too well on her own. We may need to find her someone who she can stay with in the event that it returns."

'_I know that you have some feelings for her. Perhaps it's time that you finally open up your heart. You're father and his father before him and his father before him and his father before him never opened their hearts and they all suffered greatly for it.'_ Radara stated curling up on one of the top bunk while Thomas took a seat on the bottom.

"I know that, I have the memories of my father and the events that lead to our curse." Thomas quickly stated.

'_This is no curse, our ancestors choose this role and Arceus gave us many gifts to assist in that role.'_ Radara objected.

"Gift? This is no gift. While you can stay in one place and pass your skills and memories onto your child without fear of anyone hunting down because you're different, I cannot. The humans of this day will not accept me because I will stop aging soon enough. Even if I found someone to love, I will have to watch them grow old knowing that I cannot do the same." Thomas raised his voice some. "I understand that we must watch for the evil that started the War of Legend, but these gifts as you call them make it almost impossible to find a lover and stay with them. I can never settle down to live with them knowing that while they may accept me for what I am, the majority of humans will not. They would hunt me down for the powers I was given. Surely you recall the events with my father where he was almost turned into a science experiment for being what he was." Thomas half shouted, his anger starting to flare.

'_You can find love. You may have already found it for that matter.'_ Radara stated.

"Found it, where?" Thomas questioned. "Unlike my father who may have had feelings for Diana, I am not the same man he was. No matter what she thinks, the man she fell in love with died the day I was born." Thomas quickly calmed down upon thinking about his father's life. "In the end, I will not feel for her like my father did no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he did not."

'_I was not talking about Diana. She knew the day that William left that she would never see him again. She could only hope that you turned out like your father. Despite his attempts to turn her away, she readily accepted him and if you give others the chance, they will accept you as well.'_ Radara explained. _'As for that love I was talking about, she is far closer than you think.'_

"And just what does that mean?" Thomas asked.

'_If you weren't so worried about hiding what you really are from the world, then you would know who I am talking about. Open up your heart and you will find someone who readily accepts you no matter what you. Be warned though that if you wait too long, she'll be gone.'_ Radara stated. _'I'll go get the others and tell them that we will be leaving soon.'_

"What a way to spend my birthday. Just one day a year, that's all I really ask for to myself to keep myself calm and relaxed," Thomas sighed as Radara left.


	2. Chapter 2

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Beta Reader: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 2

Thomas quickly left the Pokemon Center before anyone had the chance to question or thank him. To help speed up the trip back to the manor, Thomas had called everyone but Radara back to their Pokeballs. A few times along the trip, Rebecca's had shaken showing that she wanted out, but Thomas did his best to ignore it and convince himself that the only he only considered Rebecca as a friend and nothing more. Radara was easily able to pick up on those thoughts and knew that he just attempting to the same thing his father had done before him. Finally, after two long days, Rustboro City had come into view. It would just be a matter of hours now before they arrived at the manor.

Once again, Rebecca's Pokeball shook again trying to let Thomas know that she wanted out and even from within the confines of the Pokeball, Radara could feel the worry behind Rebecca's thoughts.

'_You have to talk with her sometime.'_ Radara stated as they walked into the city. Like every time before when Devon Corp had come out with a new product, the city was packed with all sorts of people and Pokemon. _'She is quickly becoming worried that something has happened to you.'_

'_It can wait till we get back to the manor.'_ Thomas stated the words clearly in his mind know that Radara would pick up on them. Despite his best attempts to hide his confusion and his own worry on the matter though, Radara still managed to pick up on them now he was relying on just using his mind to talk with her.

'_I can tell that you think of her as more then a friend.'_ Radara replied. _'You claim to be different from your father and his father, but you are making the same mistake they have been making for the past few generations.'_

'_I'm not in love with her. We're just good friends, nothing more.'_ Thomas countered weaving in and out of the groups of people. He took a quick look down at his arm knowing that it would raise unwanted questions and began unwrap the bandages. _'I do take back what I said about some those gifts though.'_ Thomas said looking at his arm. Except for a few scars, his arm looked good as new. _'Arceus knew what she was doing when she gave us these abilities.'_

'_Don't change the subject.'_ Radara stated. _'You father was too far along in his life and far too stubborn for me to convince him to open his heart, but you are not.'_

'_And just what does that mean?'_ Thomas looked down at Radara, an annoyed look across his face.

'_My mother and I and her mother have put up with you for a long time. With what memories I do have, I can't recall a single time that you opened you heart to anyone.' _Radara quickly replied. _'Personally, I'm tired of you making excuses.'_

'_Look, love is not a luxury I can't afford. That's why I don't look for it. Surely you can still remember that things dying words telling of its return after it had healed.'_ Thomas explained.

'_And you wonder why your father lived such an awful and miserable life. I can tell you right now that you're on the same path he was on.'_ Radara looked up firmly at Thomas showing that she was not going to the drop the subject easily obviously fed up of seeing Thomas denying his feelings. _'I had to put up with you father's misery. No matter how hard he tried to hide it from others, the link we share made it impossible for him to hide his true feelings from me. The same way Rebecca can read you aura, I can read you mind."_

'_I'm not going to lead the same life as my father.'_ Thomas countered.

'_You already have begun leading the same life. You're so blind with keeping our abilities a secret and refusing to even consider accepting help from anyone to even realize what you have in front of you!'_ Radara raised her voice in Thomas's head.

"I'm not in love with her." Thomas firmly stated, his voice slightly rose as he looked down at her. A quick glance around him showed that he had gotten the attention of those around him.

'_I think that little outburst proves that she is more then a friend to you._' Radara replied. Before Radara was even able to see what Thomas was planned, he already had her Pokeball out.

"Return." The red beam of light hit Radara and she was quickly put away. Thomas kept his hand tightly shut around her Pokeball as he doubled his pace towards the manor.

Thomas took the direct route home avoiding all the shops he usual stopped by if only to say hi to the owners. It took him just under half an hour to reach the manor's gate, his hand still enclosed around Radara's Pokeball. Without his fist there, he knew she would have already gotten out and when she finally did get out, she would throw a fit. During his quickened trip home though, all he could think about was Rebecca.

--

Thomas opened the gate to the large manor before him. The three-story brick mansion called the Falston Manor, his current home, lay before him. The manor was resting right on the coast, with a line of trees to the north and south and a large stone fence lined with thorny shrubs to east, the Falston's had a massive plot of land. Looking to the northern courtyard, Thomas recalled the first time he had returned back to the manor with Rebecca. That was six years ago and she was still a Riolu then and everyone in the Falston Manor quickly took to liking her. The first time Rebecca had been allowed to freely explore the manor, she had gotten herself caught in a Spinarak's web. Thomas was the first one to reach her and quickly went to work trying to free her, but in the end, he got himself stuck with her and had to wait for Mr. Falston to set them free.

As Thomas walked up to the Manor, he looked to the southern courtyard and shook his head. There in the garden was group of large bushes, all of them cut in a way to look like one of the Pokemon on the manor. The first one he could see was a sculpture of Rebecca, her paws resting at her sides while her head was slightly tilted. Even though it was just a sculpture made of leaves, Thomas could still make out her innocent smile remembering the day that Mr. Falston's Scyther had sculpted the bushes. Mr. Falston had done so in honor of honor of Rebecca's evolution two years ago.

With each area that Thomas looked, all he could see were memories of Rebecca. Even as he stepped into the main hall, all he could see were different memories of Rebecca. With no one there to greet him right away, Thomas headed for the staircase. He would head straight to his room. The house seemed extremely quite as he reached the second floor of the manor and turned down a hallway. The halls were decorated with various types of paintings, vases, and statuettes, all Pokemon related.

The Falston's have been extremely dedicated to helping out Pokemon and were lead scientists in Pokemon medical care. Every year, they had the basis for a new way to care for Pokemon. While they may not have always perfected their new ideas, they did more then enough to pass their ideas onto the engineers who could design their new machine or a group of nurses and doctors who could find the best way to introduce a new means of medical treatment on Pokemon. Because of this, the Falston's were rich, but they didn't quite get all the fame involved with their work. They were more then fine with that however as they just wanted to help Pokemon.

At last, Thomas reached his room, a large almost empty room. Aside from the couch near the window, a large bed along far wall, a bookshelf near the door, and a pair of dressers, the room was devoid any real furniture. It had been nearly a year since Thomas had set foot in his room and he wasn't surprised to find that the Falston's had kept it clean for him. There wasn't a spec of dust in sight and carpets had clearly been swept recently. He even had a fresh set of clothing waiting for him on top of one of his dressers. Thomas undid his belt; still keeping a tight grip on Radara's Pokeball and then set his belt down on the bed. Once again, Rebecca's ball was shaking. This caught Thomas off guard and his grip on Radara's Pokeball loosened enough for her to force it open.

Radara reformed on his bed right next to Thomas's belt. Thomas could already see he was in for it now just by looking into her eyes. They seemed to pierce his mind with rage. _'__**That's it!**__'_ Radara shouted into his mind causing Thomas to flinch expecting the absolute worst of her rage. He knew that his father had never pushed her anger without a major cause for a reason and he was pretty sure that he was about to find out why. Even with all of his abilities, Radara was still far stronger then he was. _'Its one thing to ignore me, but you know as well as I do that I can't stand tight spaces. Now take a seat.'_ Radara's eyes flashed a bright pink as Thomas found himself thrown onto the couch. _'Even in that small thing, I can still feel your thoughts and ever since you put me into that thing, Rebecca's been the only thing on your mind.'_

Thomas just looked away having a general idea of where this was going. _'I had to put up with the misery you father put himself under, but I'll be damned if I put my daughter through it Yes, we have a mission to do, but I will not make my daughter suffer because of your mistakes.' _Radara's tail hit Rebecca's Pokeball hard and Rebecca was instantly set free beside Thomas

"Huh?' Thomas was caught off guard once again by the strange choice of action Radara had taken.

'_Later on we'll have a talk about respect, but for now you WILL sit down and talk with her.'_ Radara shouted at Thomas. _'If you don't tell her what she needs to know, then I will. And don't think you're going to avoid this talk again.'_ Radara's flashed blue as Thomas's Pokeballs vanished preventing him from calling either of the two of them back.

'_Thomas, are you alright?'_ Rebecca quickly latched onto Thomas. Now free of her Pokeball after almost two full days of being left in there without anyway to know how Thomas was doing, she couldn't wait any longer. She quickly looked as far into his aura as she could, to try figure out what was wrong.

Still Thomas remained quiet, at a loss of what to say. Radara gave him a warning glare to help Thomas along. "Alright fine, I'll tell her." Thomas stated.

'_Thomas, please, tell me what's happening.'_ Rebecca pleaded seeing Thomas's aura all mixed together with strong waves of worry and stress.

"Rebecca, I'm not human in the way you think I am." Thomas stated seeing that Radara was serious about telling Rebecca herself. He decided to just tell her the truth right up front. "I'm a servant of Arceus."

'_I don't get it. What are you talking about?'_ Rebecca asked quickly becoming confused, but still greatly worried.

"The reason I've been acting different around everyone. I'm far from normal." Thomas looked to his dresser and his eyes flashed a dull blue as his a small drawer on the side of his dresser opened up. A picture was lifted from the drawer and flew over to Thomas. "Tell me who this is." Rebecca took at the picture.

There in the picture was an image of almost exact look a like of Thomas and Radara. The guy had same exact hair as Thomas, a dark brown that long, but unlike Thomas, it was well kept. The only other difference was that there was slight blue tint added to his green eyes as well. Radara looked the same as she always had though. They were up in the mountains sitting at some sort of resort. Sitting at the table beside them was a young lady; just a bit older then the Thomas look a like appeared to be. The lady had a kind smile on her face, her blue eyes almost matching Thomas's looking quietly happily at the guy. _'He looks just like you.'_ Rebecca responded.

"That was my father. The only difference between us is how we grew up. I share all of his abilities, his skills, and his mission. That's why we can't be together." Thomas stated in the end hoping that he could not only convince Rebecca of his fate, but possibly convince himself of the facts as well.

This move only served to confuse Rebecca even more. _'__What does this have to do with you though? I don't understand what you mean you're not human? I have known you all my life, and your aura tells me a different story, that you are human."_

Thomas sighed and even though his eyes are resting on Rebecca, he could still feel Radara staring at him warning him that she will not hold back on her threat. Knowing there is no real way out of this at this point but to tell her the truth he begins his explanation. "Listen Rebecca I have been reborn in a sense every hundred and some years. I am in service of Arceus. I live to protect and serve her as she calls on me."

Rebecca gives an even more confused look at Thomas. _'What do you mean reborn? And isn't Arceus a male. All legends state that. You humans also say that to with your churches that you all have in his name.'_ Rebecca states firmly as if she some how challenging them to prove her wrong. Then she quotes what she had heard a priest had told a congregation one day they had past a church that was holding service outside hoping to prove that all of this is just a story for some unknown reason. _'On to those are bestowed his grace and blessing. They shall have everlasting joy by following his teachings. Thus they shall be granted everlasting happiness with in his kingdom.'_ She smiles at herself for remembering that, but Thomas could still the worry on her face.

Thomas just smiled a bit and even through her rage, can feel that Radara is a bit amused as well. They both have heard this argument over the years, and how misquoted Arceus has been to suit people's needs. Rebecca looking into both of their aura's can see that they were amused by her previous comment. _'What, what's so funny?'_

"Arceus is female; it's just that most ancient text had been incorrectly translated." Thomas clears his throat a bit before continuing. "I know this for truth because Radara and I have served Arceus for over a thousand of years and while I have yet to meet her in this body, Radara has. We both have been given many 'gifts' from her. One of them is the use of a very powerful psychic attack, quite possibly the most powerful attack there is." Holding up his arm that was injured during the battle against Hunter J the other day.

The arm had no real scarring to it, but Rebecca remembered all the blood that covered his arm after the battle. With her understanding of humans healing methods, she knew that he should have had more scars and the injuries should still be visible, but looking at it now, there are barely any marks left.

Now that she actually took the time to think about it, Thomas had never accepted any medical treatment for anything no matter what his injuries were. Nor had he ever been sick with even a cold. She had used her Aura powers to heal the others on the team, but never Thomas. Taking a good look at Radara, she realized the same was true for her as well, but it was easier for her accept that truth seeing as she was Psychic type who could easily use Recover which would explain that away with ease. She looked at Thomas with a puzzled look that conveyed to him that she was even more confused than before and quickly growing just as worried.

"I can use the psychic attack called Recover, but to different degree then most psychic Pokemon. While they may be able use the attack and heal themselves of moderate wounds, or at least enough to stay in the fight in a matter of seconds, I can mend broken bones among other things using the attack much more then they can, but at the cost of time. It takes just a few days for me heals outers wounds like tears in my flesh, but my arm will still be a weak and can be easily broken again for a week at least until the bone has been completely restored." Thomas explained. "Any psychic type could also use the move the same way I can if they trained themselves to a high enough degree."

'_But why can't be together. I don't care if you're different.'_ Rebecca argued.

"The real reason we can't be together though is because of my final ability bestowed upon by Arceus. The fact that I was granted immortality in a sense. Though I look young to you, but my mind and memories I have are more then a thousands of years old." Thomas informed her.

'_That's a lie. You can't be immortal. You've grown as much as I have for these eight years that we've been together.'_ Rebecca countered trying to make sense of everything.

"It's funny how much the term immortal has changed over the years. The same immortality that I have is shared among many of the legendary Pokemon. Aside from a select few legendaries who have counterparts, can you explain the rest still around even if they have no other to mate with?" Thomas asked.

Given that her mind was already busy, Rebecca had failed to provide to answer to Thomas's question.

"Immortality is not what you think it is. Immortals don't lead an unending single, but rather many lives. What makes us immortal is that our memories and powers are passed on and thus, we live on in the mind but carried on in a new body who will lead a new life learning from our mistakes." Thomas explained. "No one lives forever, but our minds and memories will affect our next life. I am not the same man my father was and I will never be the same man he was, but I his memories, his fears, his mission in life as my own."

Rebecca was still not able to completely understand, there was just too much for her to take in at this time, but one fact did remain. She had fallen in love with Thomas, and that would not change easily. He had saved her more then once and she had done the same for him a few times. She knew just by looking at his aura that Thomas was still the same person who had saved her long ago even if she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her.

Thomas walks over to her as he sees that she is starting to shake with fear and confusion. He hesitates for a second as he looks at her. To him, she is nothing more than a mature Pokemon with feelings for him, but fails to understand what he is. Yet she has been someone who has never questioned him and has been a faithful companion to him ever since she was a little Riolu.

Part of his mind tells him to hold her close and tell her it will be alright that nothing has changed, he is the same person who had saved her all those years ago. At the same time, nothing will ever be the same between them. Radara has already told him not to go down the path alone and now, looking at where he is and what's going on around, maybe just once he won't have to travel it alone, maybe he can be happy.

Just as he starts to smile however on that thought, memories of the past flood into his mind, memories of his people his father and his father's father had loved and lost to time and time alone. This flood of past loves immediately reminds of him why he refused to look for a love. He wasn't about to make that same mistake and fall in love. Because while she grows old he knows that he will be born again after his time is up knowing that her memories will easily affect his next life.

After a long pause lost in his own thought, Thomas is blasted with book upside his head. He stumbles a bit and looks for his attacker, already knowing who it is. He feels the anger radiate from Radara. As her cold gaze seems to drop the temperature in the room. With his mind now torn in so many different directions, he had had enough. "I can't do this." Thomas shouts confusion and frustration filling his voice. "If you think she needs to know everything, you tell her!" His body gave off a bright blue glow and in a flash he was gone.

Radara couldn't believe her eyes and stared dumbstruck where Thomas had just been. Rebecca on the other hand had jumped out of fear and began frantically looking around. _'Thomas?'_ Rebecca shouted with her mind trying to find him.

'_No, he shouldn't be able to do that for another two years at least.'_ Radara jumped down off the bed. _'If he teleported this early, then he…I can't… how did he manage that?'_ Radara anger had all but vanished in confusion as a memory of Thomas's father came to her mind. _'Maybe I pushed him a bit too far. He has been through a lot lately and knowing what he has to do soon enough doesn't help.'_

'_Thomas, where are you?'_ Rebecca shouted again.

'_If he's anything like his father, check the coastline. William always found peace listening to the waves, perhaps he will too.'_ Radara informed Rebecca. Her eyes flashed as Thomas's Pokeballs reappeared on his bed. Using her tail, she hit Juno's ball releasing her into the room. Rebecca had already dashed out of the room hoping that Radara was right about where to find Thomas.

Juno yawned as she stretched. (What's up?) Juno asked taking a look around. (Where's Thomas?)

'_He teleported off somewhere.'_ Radara replied.

(I thought he wasn't able to start doing that until his twentieth birthday when he received that last of his abilities.) Juno stated taking a seat on the couch.

'_I think I pushed him too far forcing him to talk with Rebecca. I forgot how much he had on his mind and I think that everything was just too much for him.'_ Radara stated. _'You were good at finding him at times like this. I can't even sense the slightest thought right now; he must have closed everything off trying to figure this out.'_

(I'll see if I can find, but where is Rebecca, you did say that Thomas was talking with her before he teleported off.) Juno asked.

'_She was worried and I told her if he was like his father, he would be on the coast. I kind of hoping that she finds him while he is thinking things out.'_ Radara replied.

(Very well. If I do find him before she does, what is it exactly that you want me to do?) Juno got off the couch and walked towards the door.

'_Just keep an eye on him. I'm going to just sit here for a bit and think things over for a while. I don't think my talking with him will do much right now.'_ Radara replied.

(Good luck. And since we are back home, you might as well release Aqua and Razor.) Juno stated as she walked out of the room.

xXx

Storming her way towards the coastline, Rebecca could feel Thomas's aura was close, but he was trying to hide it. It took her a little while, but at last, she was able to pinpoint where his aura was coming from. She walked down the stony Cliffside path down to a small enclosed beach with a massive rock wall on both sides and trees topping the rock walls providing a nice shady beach almost all the time. Rebecca was easily able to understand why Thomas had chosen this spot to hide from everyone because it was so hard to reach.

As she neared the end of the path, she could see Thomas sitting by himself on a large flat rock that extended out from the beach a little ways into the water. Mr. Falston had showed this spot to the two of them when they had returned back to the manor a few years ago. It was his own private little beach and fishing hole as he had put it when he had brought the two of them down here.

Thomas had chosen a seat right on the edge of the rock, his feet hanging over the edge just inches from the water. He has his head towards the water as if looking for something. Now seeing him in person, Rebecca was easily able to read his aura and see how strangely calm and deep in thought he was. Deciding that he may need to be alone for a bit, Rebecca silently made her way towards the rock where Thomas was sitting careful not to let him know that she was there.

She had finally made it to the rock without Thomas making any notable signs that he knew that she was there and peered up over the edge to look at him. The two of them stayed like this for a short period before Thomas spoke.

"Nine, eighteen, and twenty-seven. These are three most important numbers that I still recall from my oldest memories from my first life." Thomas stated without moving his head. Although this caught Rebecca by surprise, she didn't make any motion. "But you already know that story don't you Juno."

Rebecca turned back towards the cliff and saw Juno making her way towards the two of them.

'_Please don't tell him that I'm here.'_ Rebecca pleaded with Juno who nodded her head.

(Stay here and don't move, no matter what Thomas says.) Juno quietly stated as she passed Rebecca and quickly went to find a seat by Thomas.

As she took her seat, Thomas turned to face her. "Radara let you out, didn't she?" Thomas asked to which Juno nodded her head again. "She must still be mad as hell. I have no idea how I'm going to fix that without her beating me." Thomas stated looking back down at the water. "Who am I kidding? I need to work things out with Rebecca first." Thomas just stated unaware that Rebecca was well within range to hear everything he had stated. Juno once again nodded her head to Thomas. "I mean I want to tell that I do love her, but how? It's not like I can afford to. In the end, she'll live to be what, seventy, eighty years tops and I'll live to be 120. I always live to be 120 before I am reborn." Thomas just started talking with Juno knowing that while she couldn't exactly talk back and offer advice, she could still listen to him very well. "Even if I can live those forty years without her, we wouldn't be able to lead a real life anyways. I'll stop aging soon enough meaning that I'll have to stay on the road constantly from that point on. We wouldn't be able to settle down anywhere and have a real life."

Rebecca couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to badly to just run out and tell Thomas that any life with him, no matter how hard was worth it if she got to share it with him. She didn't care if they always had to stay on the road, always moving from place to place, as long as she was with him, that's all that mattered to her.

"Hell, it's going to be bad enough knowing what I'm going to put the Falston's through. They're the closest thing to family that I have at this point. As far as they'll be allowed to know, I died in a rockslide or some other event and my body won't be found. I still don't even know how I'm going to fake my death at this point to keep them from looking for me once I stop aging." Thomas knew that his time with the Falston's was almost up. "I could just disappear for a while and let them think I got too tied up in other events in another region to remember to call them every now and then, but they would most likely just start trying to track me down. Then again, maybe that would be best. It would leave them with some hope instead of thinking that I was dead. My great grandfather did it and it worked well for the most part then. Maybe I should just leave Rebecca with them when I leave again. Put her in her ball and just make it look like I grabbed an empty one by mistake. They'd find her soon enough and take care of her, give her a proper life. Better then I could do at least."

Rebecca was once again in disbelief. Thomas wasn't actually thinking about leaving her behind was he? Not after admitting that he loved her.

"I just don't know, Juno. I mean I do love her, at least I think I do, but I don't want to hurt her. And what if it comes back in this lifetime. I'll have to leave her behind anyway. The only ones who stand any chance against that thing are just me and Radara and we'll both need the power of dominion just to have a slim fighting chance." Thomas stated while Juno kept listening. "I know that my father told you the stories about what it can do. I just can't image having to fight her if it chooses to use her as a host for itself. If I leave her behind, I'll suffer for it in loss. If I let her stay and it comes back, I may have to kill with my own hands knowing that I don't have power to purify her body and I'll suffer knowing that I'm the reason she died. Either way, I'm going to suffer because of that storm. Why couldn't it have just waited a day and let me reach Petalburg city in peace. Then all of this would have been avoided." For the first time in a long time, something had really struck hard at him. Thomas had faced wars, seen plagues tear apart nations, fought against all major of criminal organizations who had tried to capture Arceus, and still even after he rarely ever shed a tear.

By hearing himself restate the truths about him, he had finally come to terms with himself. He knew that either way he was going to suffer, but was the pain worth it to fall in love and try to lead a normal life for once. Yes, he had loved in the past; back when others had still welcomed him for what he was. He had had relationships before, but never once had he felt this empty, this alone in his vast lifetime. A few stray tears rolled down his face as he recalled his father's love and his pain for the mistakes he had made. While tears may still start forming, Thomas's face makes no reaction to them, instead falling into a blank stare as his mind became entangled in his own thoughts.

Rebecca still peering over the rock watched as his aura shifted for a state of confusion, to a mix of various emotions before quickly settling on two very distinct emotions. All she could see in his aura now was just loneliness and sadness overpowering every other emotion about him. She had seen cases like this in the auras of others, but nothing this strong or powerful before.

Doubt began to enter her mind knowing that she was the cause for Thomas's condition. Tears now form in her eyes even though she tries to hold them. Maybe it would be best if she let Thomas leave her behind. Perhaps he would be better off without her there to add to his already sad mind. Deciding that it would be best for her to just leave, she gets up slowly still trying to hold herself together that way Thomas wouldn't know that she was there.

Starting to move away, Rebecca trips on rock and although she caught herself from falling, it still alerts Thomas to her presence. Thomas turned quickly and saw Rebecca standing just a few feet from the he was sitting as a look of shock falls over his face and fills his mind. He quickly looks down at Juno looking back up at him and instantly knows that she had played a part in what had just happened. Rebecca had heard every word of a conversation meant just for the two of them. Then suddenly something clicks as he looks back at Rebecca. He shakes his head slightly as he realizes what he is going to do.

Rebecca saw Thomas just barely shake his head and began to fear the worst. She was terrified of what was going to happen next. Would Thomas ask or force her to leave, or would something else happen. Something possibly even worse.

"I won't make the same mistake my father made." Thomas whispered under his breath, but Juno was still able to hear it and began to fear that her plan to somehow bring Thomas and Rebecca closer had failed entirely. Thomas's next phrase however brought a smile to her face. "But what if his mistake wasn't falling in love. What if Radara was right and the mistake had been locking away his heart?"

Rebecca saw Thomas's lips just moved ever so slightly knowing that he was talking to himself, but she was too far to understand any of it. She was about to turn and run, but she stopped on hearing Thomas calling to her. "Rebecca wait." Thomas shouted. Juno knew then that she should leave. She got off the rock and walked slowly to the path leading out of the enclosed beach. As she walked, there was a deep silence in the air as neither Rebecca nor Thomas knew what to say or do.

(Well, go to him already.) Juno smiled using a few of her tails to try to push her back towards Thomas.

'_But, what would I say to him?'_ Rebecca asked quietly not letting Thomas hear her.

(Sometimes, you don't need words to talk with some or get to know them.) Juno stated as she felt Rebecca start to give and turn back towards Thomas. She smiled as Rebecca turned only to run back to Thomas diving into his chest, tears freely falling from her face. Using her hands and arms, she still hid her face not wanting to look at Thomas just yet but still, be there with him.

As Thomas looks down, he realizes just how closely attached Rebecca was to him, and at the same time, how closely attached he was to her. In seeing this fact though, he also saw the fact of just how much he had hurt her in trying to hide from her. Once again, Radara had been right all along. Much to both of their surprise, Thomas simply pulls Rebecca closer to him wrapping his arms over her and although her chest spike is starting to press rather firmly into his skin, he ignores the pain.

At last breaking the silence, Rebecca made the attempt to speak. _'Thomas, please don't leave me behind. I can't even image having to live without you. I don't know what I would do.__ Don't ask me to stay behind because I would try to still find you. Please don't abandon me Thomas.'_ Thomas only holds her closer as he looks to the sky.

In his ancient forgotten tongue, the language that his people had spoken from his first life, Thomas says a prayer. "Arceus, I've served without question from one life to the next. I have saved lives, I have stopped criminals, I have followed your every command. Please, just once, let me keep something I hold dear. I beg of you, don't take this away from me. For once, let me have a life worth living."

Time passed as Rebecca and Thomas had just stood there. Eventually, they had moved down to take a seat sitting on the edge of the rock where Thomas had been talking with Juno. Rebecca leaned up against him and Thomas once again had a smile on his face. The sudden movement of shifting rocks is heard. Both of them quickly turned to find Mr. Falston standing on the beach behind them, a curious look on his face as though he had missed something. "Radara told me that you would be down, but I'm rather surprised to find the two of you down here like this?" He stated.


	3. Chapter 3

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

_'Character Thought'_

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 3

The Falston family had just returned from Devon Co. Headquarters. Mr. Falston was driving the car; a full sized black Ford pickup truck while his wife, Mrs. Falston sat in the passenger seat, a worried looking on her face. "I can't help but worry. He said that he would be here two days ago at the latest." Mrs. Falston stated. Her long black hair came down far past her shoulders; her kind and gentle eyes showing the worried look that matched her face. She of a small build, but many had claimed that it had added to her beauty making her look much younger then she really was.

"I know you're worried, but he can take care of himself. Don't forget that storm we had come through. He probably just got caught up in the rain, Vivian." Mr. Falston stated. Unlike his wife of a small build, Andrew was rather tall and large; his muscular body showing that he worked out and with his short rough beard did not look much like a scientist.

"But Andrew, what if something happened?" Vivian countered as they pulled up to the garage built behind the house.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was already here waiting for us." Andrew stated. Looking off to the side, Andrew saw that he was right. By looking at the small pond that had been built next to the house, Andrew could make out a pair of figures, both of which he recognized. "See, he's here. Razor and Aqua are already in the pond by the southern courtyard." Andrew informed his wife pointing out the two of them to her.

"Oh, well that's a good sign. Should we call that Diana lady? She did say that she had a few things belonging to Thomas's father and would like to return them in person." Vivian asked.

"He just got home today. Let's give him some time to relax, and then we can call her." Andrew replied.

As Andrew parked the truck and got out, he took the two Pokeballs from his belt and threw them into the air. They opened up releasing a Blaziken and a Scyther who took the chance to stretch while Vivian retrieved a Pokeball from her own belt. She then released the Delcatty that the ball held before the two of they dismissed the Pokemon to their own activities. Walking into the house, Vivian called for Thomas, but never got an answer. Instead, Radara walked up to them.

"Hey there's Radara." Andrew stated taking a look around noticing the lack of Thomas or any response from him. "Where's Thomas at?" He asked.

Rather then tell him directly, Radara sent three very clear images to Andrew's mind not wanting to reveal just how powerful she was to Andrew. The first image was of Thomas, followed by an image of Rebecca, and finally an image of the enclosed beach where Juno had found them.

Andrew gave his thanks and then followed his wife upstairs to change out of the suit he was in. Once dressed in some more casual clothing consisting of a pair of jeans and button up shirt, he started his way out to the private beach to welcome Thomas home. It was a quick trip down to the path to meet up with Thomas.

As Andrew came to end of the path, he noticed Thomas sitting with Rebecca on the edge of the outlying rock. Keeping an eye on them, sitting so close to each other with Rebecca leaning up against Thomas while he had his arm wrapped around her, Andrew failed to notice a small rocking jutting up just a bit from the path. He moved his foot forward with his next step hitting the rock with enough force to tilt it resulting in a few other rocks rolling down the rest of the path. Surprised, Thomas and Rebecca both turned to see Andrew standing there behind them. "Radara told me that you would be down, but I'm rather surprised to find the two of you down here like this?" Andrew stated.

"Mr. Falston?!" Thomas quickly stood up. "How long were you standing there?"

"I haven't been standing here long." Andrew replied. "Although, you two seem to have grown rather close since your last visit here." Andrew stated as Rebecca, although confused, leaned against Thomas.

Thomas quickly began to worry. Although he had no problem with what kind of mate he would choose, most of the world frowned upon a human mating with a Pokemon and in a few regions like Kanto and Sinnoh it was a serious crime.

Andrew saw Thomas being to worry and knew right away what the case was. "Relax, it's not my place to choose who you fall in love with, as long as you're happy. I can't say the same for my wife, but I'm happy that you have found someone to love." Just as fast as Thomas had begun to worry, he relaxed.

"I'm glad to hear this. I would hate to have to leave on bad terms with you." Thomas responded.

"Oh don't worry about that. You'll always be welcomed at the manor no matter who you love as long as I live here." Andrew stated some bits of worry now in his own voice. "Of course I can't say the same about Vivian. I'm not sure how she would react to this. But still, I would keep it a secret for now. We both now how my father is, and he'll be stopping by tonight to spend a few days out here before heading to Johto."

"Yes, keeping this a secret from him would be in all our best interests." Thomas agreed recalling the man's view on life and knowing what problems would arise if he got involved. "Once he gets here, Rebecca, you can't lean on me like this. We can't let him catch on."

'_Huh. But, I don't understand. What are you saying?'_ Rebecca asked.

"I hate to do this, but it would be best for everyone once he gets here if we don't hang around each other much. Unfortunately, he only sees your kind as tools and beasts, used for breeding or work." Thomas explained. "I don't want to get him involved if at all possible. If you have to stick close to me, just don't hang or lean on me. We can share each other's company out here or in my room, but not when he is around."

'_Is he really that bad a person?'_ Rebecca asked. Since Thomas and Andrew's father Eric both traveled a lot, Rebecca had never had the chance to meet him. She had heard about now and then, but not much. She did get the idea that Thomas and Eric did not get along too well, but she never really had chance to confirm or disprove this theory.

"It's not that he is a bad person, it's just the way he was raised. He was raised under the impression that while Pokemon may be living creatures, they were still below humans and as such, were nothing more then servants and tools, basically devices to improve our way of life and act as entertainment through battles at times." Andrew stated. "Of course, with his job, he wasn't always around. My mother raised me with a different view on Pokemon. Vastly different from the way he sees them." Rebecca nodded her head showing that she got the idea. This Eric person wouldn't be the first person who saw Pokemon as tools or treated them like beasts that she had met. She knew based on what she was told now that despite her want to stick close to Thomas, to show him her love, with Eric coming by, it would be best to leave those kinds of actions for private moments when he wasn't around.

'_I get the idea.'_ Rebecca stated, sadness filling her voice because of what she would have to put up with for the next few days.

"I'll make it you Rebecca. I know a few places on the property where we can share our time together without his eyes watching us." Thomas said cheering her up. "For now though, let's enjoy what time we have before we he arrives."

"You really have grown close to each other." Andrew stated. "I hate to say this then, but I think Vivian wants you back up at the house. She's been a bit worried about you. Even though you're our adopted son, she still thinks of you as our child just like I do."

"I guess I'd better go say hi then. Once she starts to worry, she gets real nervous." Thomas sighed. "Let's go." Thomas started towards the path following Andrew with Rebecca still at his side.

--

Thomas, Rebecca, and Andrew arrived at the manor in just short time to find Vivian in the kitchen preparing a meal for dinner. Vivian was glad to have Thomas back and Thomas knew then that he was really going to hurt her when it came time for him to leave again. The next few hours, Thomas told them about how had been for the past year and what all was new, but he made sure to leave the events of the past few days out of the picture. At last, just before dinner was served, Eric Falston, Andrew's father had arrived.

Thomas decided that it would be best for him to answer the door and let Eric know right away that he was there. Opening the front door, Thomas came face to face with Eric. Eric wore a large black suit that covered his body and even though it, one could still see his muscles. With his grey trimmed beard and graying retreating hairline, it was obvious that Eric was old, but also strong. He carried a suitcase in his left hand and a laptop over his right shoulder. Beside him was his only Pokemon, a Shiny Toxicroak carrying Eric's other two suitcases. "Thomas? What are you doing here?" Eric asked his deep voice as serious as ever.

"My birthday was a few days ago. I am entitled to take a break every now and then and I thought that I would come back here and see how my parents were doing." Thomas responded.

"That's right; your birthday was a few days ago. If I had remembered and knew that you were going to be here, I might have brought something." Eric replied, but Thomas knew that Eric was just saying that and did not mean it. "Well, are you going to stand there all day or are you going to let me in?"

Thomas just stepped aside allowing Eric and his Toxicroak which Eric and named Tox for short into the house.

"Father, I'm glad to see you again." Andrew stated.

"I'm glad to see that you're still doing well. I hope that I'm not intruding on you. With the release of the newest Devon Corp. products you must be busy." Eric stated.

"We're happy to see you again, Eric. Please, join us for dinner." Vivian stated as she walked into the room.

"Tox, take these to my room, then go find a spot to rest. We've had a long day and we'll both need to rest for tomorrow." Eric stated setting down his suitcase and laptop. Tox nodded his head before heading towards the stairs with the two cases he already had in his hands. "Well then, let us go eat." Eric started for the dining room.

Following Thomas's advice, Rebecca sat on the opposite end of the dining room with the other Pokemon minus Tox. Although Thomas only made a few glances to see how they were doing, each time, he took note that Rebecca had her eyes on him noticing a slight sadness behind them. He understood why she was sad though and knew that she share his bed tonight so that they could be together.

As dinner came to a close, Andrew and Vivian got a call from Devon Corp asking to come back to the lab for a while and help out with some last minute project details that just came up. This left Thomas and Eric alone with just their Pokemon there with them.

"So my boy how has your training come along? I have heard you been doing well in your gym battles, well what few you actually compete for. You should be more ambition like other trainers out there and go for the Elite Four challenge." Eric states with authority by slamming his fist onto the table. This in turn shook the table causing Thomas's plate to start to fall off the edge. Thomas catches his plate in time though and sets it back on the table properly before it falls off. This act though only seemed to annoy Eric. "Boy you have been pampered to long by this good life have you not?"

Thomas simply raises his eyebrow and looks over at Eric. "Excuse me? Would you mind explaining that one to me because I fail to see how I've been, as you put it, pampered?"

"I know you come here to mooch off my son and his wife. They work hard for there money and what do you do come running here? You want something from them. Boy in my day we had to work for our keep and place in the world. We don't depend on others to do everything for us." He flexes his muscles as he talks almost as if to prove something. Rebecca simply sits there in the chair next to Thomas listening and watching this man still trying to comprehend what Eric is saying to Thomas.

"The only thing I want when I come here is some good company and a place to relax. Yes, my trips are few and far between and yes, I have been given a few expensive gifts from you son and his wife, but I have never come here with the intention of asking for money or a gift of sorts." Thomas countered. "If my training and battling methods aren't up to your standards, then what would you have me do?"

Eric responds with something that Thomas should have seen coming as he points to Rebecca. "Why haven't you been using the Lucario for breeding yet boy? She matured over a year ago and she still hasn't produced a single pup. Do you understand how much money you could make by breeding this one? Lucario's are not easy to catch with all the protection they have around them in Sinnoh already. Breeding one would bring you tons of money. You could have my Tox breed this bit…."

Rebecca gasps at this and drops the glass she had been drinking from. Even before the glass hits the floor Thomas is out of his chair and with a look that stops Eric in mid sentence. "Watch your tongue old fool." Thomas snaps. Radara, who had yet to attempt to talk with Thomas since he teleported out of the room earlier that day caught onto this spike of anger and came over to investigate.

As she entered the room, she saw Thomas standing straight up, his eyes locked onto Eric while Rebecca was nearly on the verge or tears. She quickly got the general of what had happened. This sparked two major emotions within her. The first was joy that Thomas was willing to protect other then his own secret and mission, something he had not done in a few incarnations. This meant he had finally found something of value and worth the effort to protect. The second feeling was of concern knowing that Arceus did not approve of Thomas using his abilities on other humans out of rage. Seeing his anger spark like this was a double-edged sword and Radara knew that she would have to play the role of caretaker.

"Don't even think about finishing that statement." Thomas warned Eric. "You will not insult those I care for. Times have changed whether you like them or not. Pokemon are not animals or tools as you have told me in the past and they never were. They have feelings, hopes, and desires, the same as any human. Just because they walk on four legs or have fur or a fang, that doesn't make them inferior to humans." He slams his hand on the table leaving a notable dent in the woodwork from his lack of self-control.

"Boy you do not disrespect me like that. Do you know who you're talking to? I am Eric Falston, master trainer and breeder. I have beaten more snot nose trainers in a month then you had in your short worthless life boy." Eric shouts. "How that miserable father of yours ever managed to become friends with my son is beyond me. They should have left you foster care rather then take you in the day that fool died." Thomas just looked on as Eric spoke. "As for your Pokemon, I don't see much use for then other then breeding at this point with your noticeable lack of badges. Hell, even a Coordinator would have made something of them by this time but your Pokemon can't even do that, can they? You're better off trying to become a breeder at this point. At least the bitch would then have some value then rather then follow you around everywhere." Eric shouted in anger.

Rebecca couldn't believe the words she had just heard. She had put up with some mean people before, but Eric had done more then just insult her. He might as well just sell her off as a tool without even acknowledging her as a living creature.

"I already told you once to watch your tongue. You do not speak ill about me or my family and you most certainly will not speak ill about Rebecca. You would be wise to drop this discussion now. You'd be rather surprised just what all I can do." Thomas countered.

Eric looks on for a second as a thought comes to his head. Rather then say 'Pokemon', Thomas had distinctly called out the name of his Lucario. He took a quick look at her and saw just how close to crying she was looking right up at Thomas and after seeing how Thomas had defended her by name, he knew something was up.

"You disgust me boy. You're in love with the thing, aren't you?" Eric stated standing up just a few inches taller then Thomas, but still enough to look down on him. "I'll be sure to tell my son and his wife about this. We'll see how long they keep you around."

"Your son already gave me his blessing. I'll always be welcomed here no matter who I fall in love with. As for you, I agree with my father. You're nothing more then an arrogant ass with no regard for Pokemon. I hope you suffer a miserable existence for the remainder of your days." Thomas stated as he anger grew. Without knowing just how far he was going, Thomas tapped into his psychic abilities as a few plates began to rise off the table.

Eric took notice of this and a quick over at the door revealed that Radara was watching as he came to his quick conclusion. "Boy, you had better call off that shrimp off or she won't be around to see another day. Your father may have trained her, but I was training Tox before he was born." Eric warned as Tox walked up from behind her.

Thomas took a look at the table as saw what he was doing. "Who said that she was the one causing all this?" Thomas asked as his eyes began to glow. "You will end this conversation now." Thomas turned to walk off as the plates came down, a few of them breaking in the process. "Come on Rebecca; let's leave this ass to his own thoughts."

Rebecca quickly ran over to Thomas and hugged him tightly as they walked of the room. She was still hurt from Eric's words and idea and now completely understood why Thomas had rarely ever mentioned anything about Eric.

"Boy, you get back here now. I'm not done with you by a long shot. We're going to have a long time about respect. I don't care who you think you are, you will not insult me like that in my own house." Eric shouted as he stormed over to door Thomas and Rebecca had just used seconds before.

Thomas stopped and turned to face Eric one last time. "First of all this is not your house and secondly touch me again and it will be the last thing you do." Thomas warned. Rather then go for Thomas however, Eric reached out and grabbed Rebecca forcefully then he threw her off to the side causing her to crash into a small pedestal. She fell onto her side as the large statue that had been resting on the pedestal fell over landing on her leg. She howled in pain as a result.

"Get you ass out of here. I don't want to see you in this house again." Eric stated his voice full of rage and hate. Radara quickly ran over to where Thomas and Eric and standing knowing full well that she would have to intervene at this point. "And as for you…" Eric turned towards Thomas only to see that his fist had already been raised.

Thomas struck Eric head on in the nose with his fist. A storm of sparks erupted from the impact point as Eric was thrown back a few feet landing on his ass right beside a bookcase. Thomas threw his other hand up and brought down at an angle causing the bookcase to topple.

Radara had use barrier to prevent any real harm to Eric as the bookcase flipped over. Eric looked up to see the solid green field that was the barrier attack protecting him from Thomas.

'_I would stay out of Thomas's way right now. I don't think Thomas is going to put up with you.'_ Radara quickly informed Eric as the barrier disappeared. Radara moved past Eric and now stood between Thomas and Eric. _'Thomas, back off. He has wronged you, but you are far more powerful then he is. This will not be a fair fight and you know what Arceus will do in retaliation. It's not too late to back down.'_

Thomas leaned down over Rebecca who was holding her leg in pain. Thomas just looked at Eric, his rage clearly visible. "Get out of here before I tear you pieces. And pray that we never meet again." Thomas stated before picking up Rebecca and carrying her up the stairs.

--

Thomas moved into his room and with his mind, moved the pillows on the bed into two piles. One pile of the pillows was for Rebecca to lean back on while the other pile was pulled a short distance away so that she could rest her leg on at an elevated spot. Thomas gently set her down, then walked over to a small closet where had kept his mini fridge out of the way. He was happy to find a few ice packs within it and a bag full of various berries. Grabbing a pair of ice packs and the bag of berries, he took a seat next to Rebecca.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. Once you're ready, we can leave this place." Thomas stated carefully applying the ice packs to Rebecca's leg and wrapping them up in one of the smaller sheets to hold them in place. "If I had known that this was going to happen, I wouldn't have come back here."

'_It's not your fault Thomas. There's no way you could have predicted this could have happened.'_ Rebecca stated seeing Thomas's aura once again go dark with sadness.

"Of course it's my fault. I should have paid better attention to how long we spent in those caves. Then we could have been here a lot sooner and been gone before he got here." Thomas countered.

'_If we didn't spend those extra days down there, then we wouldn't have each other. It was thanks to that hunter that we're together. She helped me realize my love for you.'_ Rebecca reasoned. She gave Thomas a slight tug pulling him closer to the bed. As Thomas moved closer, accidentally bumped Rebecca's injured leg. She winced as the pain returned, but did her best to ignore it.

Thomas quickly realized his mistake and backed off. Radara walked in a few seconds later carrying a pouch in her mouth. _'I was unable to convince Eric to leave the house, but I think he will leave you alone for now. I've already informed Juno, Aqua, and Razor about what's going on.'_ Radara walked up the bed and dropped the small pouch. _'There pain relievers for Pokemon. I got them from the medicine cabinet. They should help deal with the pain from that leg injury.'_ Radara stated before turning to leave. _'And Thomas I'm sorry for pushing you so hard earlier. I knew you were under a lot of stress because of what we'll have to do soon and I pushed you anyway.'_

"I am also at fault here Radara. I acted without thinking with just myself in mind when I put back in your Pokemon despite the fact I know how claustrophobic you are." Thomas stated. "I'm sorry to both of you for the past few days. I don't know how I can fix this. For now though," Thomas walked over to his bag, and pulled out a small notebook and a pen. "Radara, write up a note telling my parents that we'll be staying at the local hotel. I'm not going to hang around here with Eric here. We'll leave once I have my things packed up."

Thomas put the pen and paper down in front of Radara before he went to his dresser and began packing. In just a few minutes, the pain pills that Rebecca had taken were starting to take effect and while she wasn't able to use her leg yet, she could now at least carefully apply some weight to it.

As Thomas finished packing his bag, Razor and Aqua walked in, both with a concerned look on their faces. "Come on you two. I hate to cut our break short, but we'll be spending next few days at the local hotel. By their rules, I can only let two Pokemon roam around at anyone time." Thomas informed his Pokemon. Both Aqua and Razor nodded having already been informed of what Eric had started. Thomas recalled them both which just left Juno unaccounted for.

Radara's eyes flashed blue as the note she had finished writing using her mind to move the pen vanished. She then used her mind to return the notebook and the pen to Thomas's bag. _'I've left the note by the front door and a second copy in your parents' room just in case.'_ Radara informed Thomas. _'Juno will be keeping Eric busy until we leave the house.'_

"Let's go then." Thomas said helping Rebecca up and acted as a crutch for her as they walked out of the room.

--

It took roughly an hour to reach the local hotel and by then, Juno had finally caught up to them. She already knew the rules at the hotel and took a seat waiting for Thomas to return her to her Pokeball once she had caught up leaving Thomas alone with Radara and Rebecca.

As Thomas walked in, the hotel owner took a long look at him. "Thomas? Just what are you doing here?" the clerk asked.

"I need a room for the night, Daniel." Thomas replied helping Rebecca take a seat in one of the chairs scattered around the lobby.

"I would have thought that you would stay with the Falston's. Did something happen?" Daniel asked noting Rebecca's limp. "And what happened to Rebecca?"

"Eric finally pushed the matter too far and had the nerve to insult me, my father and my Pokemon. As long as he is there, I'm not staying at the manor. As for Rebecca, it's just a sprained ankle." Thomas stated wanting to avoid as many questions as possible.

"Okay then." Daniel stated pulling out a keycard. "Your room number is 121. Might I ask how long you'll be staying?"

"Just charge me for four days right now. If I need to stay longer, I'll let you know." Thomas stated pulling out his wallet and handing a pair of hundreds over to Daniel. "Keep the change." Thomas took his key and walked back over to Rebecca helping her up and down the hall to his room.

The room, although not much bigger then his room back at the manor would still serve its purpose well enough. A couch lay next to one wall with a little coffee table and TV next to it. A small kitchen unit was in the far corner of the room and a pair of doors off to the side lead to the bathroom with a shower and the bedroom.

Thomas helped Rebecca over to the couch and after she got comfortable, he took a seat himself. "So much for me not leaving on bad terms with them." Thomas sighed.

'_This was Eric's fault that we left, not yours. I know Andrew will understand.'_ Rebecca counters Thomas's previous statement.

"I know but I didn't want to leave like this. I wanted to wrap a few things up before I left. I don't like to leave things unresolved. That way when it's time for me to cut off most of my ties with them, it's easier for me to do. Why the hell did Eric have to screw this up?" Thomas places his hands over face. As he tries to calm down despite it all that has happened, he is reminded on how some people have yet to really over come their short sightedness.

Over the centuries, he knew that he was fighting for all living things that lived under Arceus. But sometimes he questioned some of those he things was fighting for. He has seen the darkest parts of humanity at times when they used Pokemon as tools for war, as a disposable workforce, and even, in the worst of times, slaves.

He had tried in the past to change things, but never really got too far. Mostly due to the point he was always stopped by the will of Arceus. Once again, her words echoed in his head. _'You must leave humanity to it own devices. They must find their own path in the world. They will find that one day, they are the chosen race, but they must discover this on their own.'_

Suddenly, Thomas is hit by a pillow and he turns to face Radara know that she had tossed it at him. '_I told you not to think too much on these kinds of matters, you tend to get depressed to fast when you do Thomas. You're upsetting Rebecca.' _Radara looks at him with a miffed look.

He looks at Radara, then to Rebecca. Sure enough, he notices her sad and hurt expression on her face. He gets up and walks over to where Rebecca is before kneeling down so that roughly at eye level with one another. "I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you. It just that that man, he just…."

Rebecca puts her paw to his face and gently caresses it. All the anger and sadness he had built up melts away under her kind touch. _'You don't need to explain yourself to me. I can read your aura like an open book. I can understand how you feel after meeting that evil man. I don't see how that man can be Andrew's father.'_

"I know what you mean, but blood does not define us. Only our actions do." He smiles at Rebecca. "Well either way this does put a wrench in my plans to meet Diana. She still has some stuff from my father that I will need later and some things I would rather not lose." Thomas sighs.

"_Things, what kind of things?"_ Rebecca looks at him a bit confused.

"Well I have some things from my previous life and other items I will tell you about later. I just don't want to lose that box." Thomas explains

Radara looks at him _"Ah, the famous box full of stuff from the pervious incarnations, or how I like to say your memory box." _

"Yeah, there are many memories in that box I would not like to lose." He gives Radara a wistful smile. "Some of which aren't so big, but other are reminders of past friends and loved ones."

The sound of ringing cell phone broke the peaceful atmosphere and Thomas quickly reached into his bag.

"Hello?" Thomas asked.

"Thomas, is everything okay over there." Andrew asked. "My father just told that you attacked him because you were jealous or something like that and ran off, but I got your note. What happened after we left?"

"To put it in simple terms, he insulted me and my father, but most of all, Rebecca." Thomas began. "He knows that I have feeling for her. As for attacking him, no he started that fight throwing Rebecca into one of your statues."

"I see." Andrew stated. "I'd like to come over tomorrow to have a look at Rebecca if that's okay. As for tonight, I'll cover you stay in the hotel. We both know how my father is and after seeing the mess here, I can understand why you left. You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm fine and I've already paid for the nights I'll be staying here. I'm staying in room 121." Thomas stated. Rebecca gave off yawn as Thomas looked to the clock by the TV. "It's getting late; we can have a face to face talk about this when you get here. Has Eric informed you two about me and Rebecca?" Thomas asked.

"He painted a clear picture in Vivian's mind, but I'm pretty sure that he's over doing it. It didn't seem like the two of you had slept together just yet. I'm sorry to say however, that Vivian is rather disgusted by the idea and I'm not sure if she'll want to see you anymore." Andrew replied, a bit of worry in his voice. "I'll come out to see you tomorrow around noon."

"Okay. I guess I'll just be expecting you alone tomorrow then. As for my sleeping with Rebecca, no, although we may share a bed tonight, we haven't done anything that Eric may have suggested yet. And don't worry; I won't take advantage of her love." Thomas informed Andrew.

"I'm glad to hear this. I'll see you tomorrow then." Andrew finished before hanging up the phone.

'_What's going on at the manor?'_ Radara asked.

"Eric has given Vivian a detailed picture about how far he believes my relationship with Rebecca has gone, Andrew isn't sure whether or not she'll want to see me anymore. I have no doubt that Eric is ticked off, but I think that our secret is safe. I doubt anyone will believe him if he talks about any of my abilities. As for Andrew, he'll be coming over tomorrow to look at Rebecca's leg." Thomas explained. "Anyway, it's getting late. You're welcome to curl up on the foot of the bed Radara." Thomas gently picked up Rebecca and helped her over to the bedroom setting her carefully on the bed letting her get comfortable first before making room for himself.

'_No, I'll just let the two of you have the bed tonight.'_ Radara stretched her legs out before getting on the couch. _'I don't want to intrude on anything.'_

"Nothing is going to happen tonight." Thomas stated. Being in such a delicate relationship right now, he would give Rebecca the right to lead and judge how fast she wanted to take things. Experience from his past lives had taught him much, especially with matters of the heart.

With Rebecca resting on her side, Thomas had leaned in close behind her. She felt his presence and scooted back so that she was now resting against him. Thomas pulled up the covers and rested his arm over Rebecca smiling. Even though things had gone rather bad today, at least something good still came out of it.

xXx

End Notes: This chapter was co-written by Catsithx. We both contributed to this chapter adding new parts.


	4. Chapter 4

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:  
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.  
_'Character Thought'  
_(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 4

The night passed quietly compared the events that led Thomas to the hotel. Even after waking, Thomas and Rebecca didn't do too much more then sit and enjoy each other's company waiting for Andrew to arrive. At last, as noon was coming around, Radara broke the quiet atmosphere around them.

'_Andrew is coming.'_ Radara alerted Thomas and Rebecca. _'He seems a bit depressed. From the thoughts on his mind, I think that he may have encountered some problems with Vivian and Eric.'_

"No doubt, I'm at the center of that mess as well." Thomas sighed.

'_I do not think you are to blame, but rather I think that you were just caught in the crossfire of this argument. It appears that this argument has been going on for some time before we returned to the manor if I am reading his thoughts correctly.'_ Radara countered.

A few seconds had passed before there was a knock at the door.

"Come on in Andrew." Thomas stated as he got up.

The door opened up as Andrew stepped in alone. "I'm sorry to say that you may want to stay away from the manor for a while. My father and unfortunately Vivian do not appear to want your company anymore."

"I was afraid of that." Thomas replied. "Come on, Rebecca's on the couch."

Andrew followed Thomas over to where Rebecca was and then opened the small medical case he had carried with him into the room. "Let's see just how bad this is." Andrew stated slowly tilting Rebecca's a bit so that he could get a better look at it.

After roughly half ten minutes, Andrew was confident that there was nothing seriously wrong with Rebecca's leg and leaned up against one of the walls letting Rebecca lean against Thomas on the couch.

"You two really make a nice couple." Andrew smiled. "I hope everything goes well for the two of you."

"We can only hope. Unfortunately, many do not believe that a Pokemon and a human can share love with each other." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. "I think I'll just be traveling from now on, I may become a Coordinator, but that will be it."

"The choice is yours, but remember that your Pokemon do have a say in that as well." Andrew countered.

"I always give them first choice when it came to battling." Thomas stated. "It's not like I push them into anything."

"That is true. Say, where are the two of planning on going next?" Andrew asked.

Before Thomas even had a chance to think on that question, a sudden idea popped into his head. Radara also caught on to a small spike of psychic energy. She knew that while they would still have some time to get to their next destination, they would most likely be needed when they got there.

"I'm thinking Mount Moon at this point." Thomas replied.

"That's in the Kanto region; you'll have to be a bit cautious out there." Andrew informed the group. "Their punishment for a human and Pokemon being together may not be as severe as in the Sinnoh region, but they can still put Rebecca down. Being from out of region though, they may cut you some slack and possibly give you time to return to the Hoenn region if someone finds out about your relationship."

"I know we'll be careful." Thomas replied. After thinking on the matter for a second, he had a general idea of why he had suddenly decided to head to Kanto. This wasn't the first time that he had picked a random place to visit and he knew that it wasn't going to be the last.

"Before you leave that way though, I've got a message from a Miss Diana Rose. She apparently has some things that belonged to your father. It just took her a while to track him down, and then track you down in his place." Andrew stated. "I have her number right here."

"Thanks. I guess I'll go out and visit her. I'd like to hear more about my father." Thomas stated giving Andrew a believable reason to meet with her in person.

"Here's her number and address. She said that she is staying with a friend down in Petalburg for the next week at least. I can give you a ride down there. It's the least I can do after what my father did." Andrew offered.

"None of this is your fault. I should have seen this coming knowing how your father is. I am just sorry for any problems that he may be causing you right now." Thomas responded. "But yes, I thank you for the ride down there."

"We can leave once you're ready. I don't see any problems with Rebecca that would keep her stuck anywhere. She'll just have to take it easy for a while." Andrew stated.

"Well, I'm ready when ever. Rebecca, we can leave when you're feeling up to it." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. She nodded her head quickly.

'_I don't like the thought of being so close to that man right now. Not after what he did to me and Thomas. No offense to you Andrew, but I would like to leave this place soon.'_ Rebecca informed them.

"None taken Rebecca. I can understand your reasons for wanting to leave so soon. My father may have his good points, but I'm sorry that you never got to see any of them. My truck is outside right now and waiting."

"Let's get going then." Thomas helped Rebecca up and then grabbed his bag. After checking out, Thomas climbed into the back of truck cabin with Rebecca while Radara took the front see.

--

From the hotel, it was a peaceful few hour drive to Petalburg City. It then took a short time to find the house where Diana was supposed to be staying. It was an old Victorian style place, with faded blue paint and large porch that circled the house. Andrew parked the truck in the drive way and the group got out. Everyone walked up the door where they were greeted by a young man just getting ready to leave. "Can I help you?" The man asked.

"Hello. We're looking for a Diana Rose. She said that she had a few things belonging to my father, William Jones." Thomas stated.

"I don't know who this William guy is, but then again Diana always did have an odd taste in friends. She's out back. Just walk around the porch and you'll see her." The man said. "Could I ask you to move you're truck though? I need to get my car out so I can leave for work."

"Thanks for the ride Andrew; we'll be fine from here. I'll give you a call later if anything comes up." Thomas stated as he started walking to the back with Rebecca and Radara.

"No problem Thomas. If you need anything else, I'll have my phone on me. And don't worry about money, I'll transfer a moderate sum to your account to make sure that you can make it on your own for a while." Andrew replied as he hurried back over to his truck so that he could let the man out.

Andrew pulls away from the driveway as he lets the young man pull his car out. The young man drives off without a glance back. As Andrew pulls up to where Thomas is standing with Rebecca and Radara. "Well I am off; remember that I know you have chosen this path. It may be hard, but you seem to me to be stronger than you look. I'll see what I can do to smooth things over with Vivian for a little. For now though just try to fly under the radar ok."

Thomas gives him a smile that filled with confidence. "In all the years that I have spent traveling, has my name ever found its way around? Like I said, I'll call if something comes up." Andrew smiles at Thomas as he pulls off and heads home.

Thomas waves goodbye as does Rebecca. As he disappears, Radara words brings him back to why there here. _'Well she's not going to wait for us forever Thomas. Let's get this over with ok.'_

Thomas sighs "Yeah we should. She's probably already expecting me."

They walk towards the back of the house they are greeted by sight to behold, as it seems the Pokemon here run the garden. They see some Bellossom tending to the flowerbeds removing weeds as well as some Ledyba watering the flowers. One thing that stands out among the Pokemon however is an Absol that is trimming the flowers and grass with uncanny precision. He looks towards the center of the garden and sees an older woman appearing to be in her early 50's. She looks almost the same as Thomas remembers, despite the few traces of sliver within her hair.

As he looks at her a small flood of memories hits him like a tidal wave. Following the surge of memories Thomas was struck by a powerful headache caused by the sudden awaking of a small part of his past. If not for the fact that Thomas had experienced this kind of event before so many times in the past, his mind would not have been able to withstand the sudden awakening of all the new memories that he was experiencing.

--

Thomas recalled the time he had first met her, up in the mountains.

His father William had just made it to Mt. Silver heading for Silver City. He had stopped at a Pokemon Center on the route up to Silver city to take a break for a few days before continuing when he met Diana.

Back then, his meeting with her was only meant to be a short and minor thing, but things never went as planned. They ended up traveling the entire mountain together and along the way, she quickly became attached to him, and he was becoming attached to her as well. A day became a week, and then a week became a month, and then one month became two, and then three. Memories of the times that they had walked coastlines and forest trails all came back at once. There was even a time that they had rescued a mass of Pokemon from an abusive breeder.

Before William had known what had happened, he found himself nearing his next reincarnation. The world had been so calm around him, and without Arceus calling upon for anything, he had nearly forgotten what he really was. His unwanted reminder came in the form of the blue moon, his warning sign that his current life would end in a short two years when he was to take on his new body.

William quickly parted ways with Diana leaving nothing more then a letter behind hoping that he didn't leave her too badly hurt from his 'mistakes' and once again started traveling with just Juno and Radara for company, this time in search of place where his next life would begin. Diana was not so easily lost however and tracked him down.

When she did find two weeks later, he tried to lie to her and tell her that his feelings for her had changed, but she wouldn't buy the story. She had been left nearly heart-broken and began demanding the truth. In an unfortunate series of events, Arceus had called upon him for assistance once again. In the end, Diana had seen everything William had done to protect Arceus and he was forced to tell her truth including the fact that he was going to reincarnate soon. He had told her that he had to find a new place away from everything he was familiar with to prevent a premature awaking of his memories and abilities.

Diana was reluctant to leave William and let him find a new family to raise his next body as an infant, but still wanting to help, she had agreed to hold onto some of his most prized possessions and keep them safe until he could return for them.

--

Thomas shakes his head as he moves forward trying to remove some of the memories from his head. Rebecca feels this slight spike in pain Thomas feels and looks to him with a questioning look. "It's nothing to be worried about. I'm just recalling a new batch of memories."

Looking up from Radara back to Diana, a new thought enters his head, and a fearful one at that. Looking on at Diana and remembering her younger body from all those years ago, he is suddenly reminded of his greatest curse. A clear image of himself and Rebecca invades his mind, but something is different. Like Diana, Rebecca has grown old, her yellow fur now showing streaks of gray. What caused Thomas to really start to panic for a second however was the image of himself, which had also grown older. Thomas knew this was impossible however having already lived several lives and never growing beyond the age of his early twenties.

Radara and Rebecca both pick up on his fear. Radara enter his mind and sees the visual thoughts behind the fear Thomas. _'Thomas, calm down.'_

Thomas blinks for a second and the image fade away. Rebecca looks at him with a look of concern. _'What happened Thomas? I felt you panic and then became fearful, what did you see?'_

"Nothing, just some frightening memories belonging to my father." Thomas faked a smile misleading Rebecca to get her to drop the subject for now. He then shifts to Radara with a look that say they will talk about it later. "Let's go see Diana and get my old things back."

He walks up to center of the Garden where Diana sits and watches the Pokemon go about the business of tending the garden.

Thomas clears his throat to get her attention. "Excuse me Ms. Rose. My name is Thomas…." Diana raises her hand to stop him from continuing. She looks towards him with the same smile that caught his attention all those years ago in his pervious life. As she slowly rises off the bench, the Absol quickly rushes over to her side to her help her walk.

She pats the Absol on the cheek gently. "It's ok Blade. I can walk on my own. So you're William's son are you not?" She looks at him as waiting to see what his response is.

He simply nods "Yes I am."

She studies him for a minute before she walks past him, and pets Radara "So I see you have one of you fathers Pokemon. Do you still travel with Juno? " Radara purrs as she petted enjoying the attention that she was given. Thomas simply nods.

"You're truly your father's son. You look the same as him and you even have the same attitude." She smiles. "Follow me and I'll get your things out of hiding." She beckons for Blade, the Absol to follow her. Blade quickly does as he was requested to do but gives a dark look at Thomas as he passes him.

Thomas and his Pokemon companions follow her to the house "You father was a cruel person at times. For the first few months that I had got to know him, I felt like it was true love, but he didn't really return my advances. At first, I thought it was because that he was just to busy with everything else to take notice at times. Soon though, I knew that he had caught on, he wasn't missing my advances. He was ignoring them. Then he just leaves out of the blue one day leaving me behind." Thomas once again recalled the events and now, from his current standing realizes just how much he had hurt Diana back then.

He looks around the house as she gets the items left behind by his father. As he looks, he sees a few items that he recalls his father help Diana pick out for a few things. Now once again in her presence, he thinks about what life could have been it he wasn't in Arceus's service. Would he have found happiness with her if he had lead a normal life? Then something hits him on the side he looks expecting Radara but sees Blade instead. For a second he looks at the Blade before realizes that Blade was one of the Pokemon he and Diana had save all those years ago from that abusive breeder in his previous life.

Still what could be Blade's problem, he shouldn't even remember him or even know him in his new body? He looks to Diana. "Did I do something wrong to offend him?"

Diana smiles at Thomas. "No he just doesn't like people, especially trainers. Aside from me, Blade never really trusted anyone. Not even your father who helped rescue him."

He moves back a bit as the Blade moves towards him. Rebecca then takes a stand between Thomas and Blade gives him a threatening look. Surprisingly, Blade heads next to Diana rather then continue and start a fight.

She notices this and looks over to Thomas in surprise. "That's a first, he's never backed down from anyone; he's very protective of me." Diana then takes notice of how Rebecca is standing near Thomas. "Ah so you have your own guardian there I see. Lucarios are very protective of the ones they share a bond with. You are fortunate to have one so loyal to you." She pulls out the large box Thomas easily recognizes as the box he had left with her in his previous incarnation.

"You should thank me; I was tempted to toss these things out several times. These were some of his most prized possessions. He left them with me saying that he would return for them." Diana smiles at this. "And finally, after nineteen long years of waiting, you have returned." Thomas walks towards the box to take it but just as he reaches for the box, Diana pulls it back to herself.

"Before I hand them over to you, you made me a promise." Diana asks kindly.

"Would you mind reminding what that promise was then, I don't have all of my father's memories." Thomas replies. As if to answer his own question, a single vivid image enters Thomas's mind, a clear and solid image from William's last moments with Diana before he had left her for the last time.

Thomas sees his father holding Diana tightly into his chest as tears roll down her face. Thomas is clearly able to see his father's lips move as he holds Diana and as though William were speaking to Thomas himself, the words William told Diana were clearly repeated within his head.

Diana goes to answer Thomas, but Thomas speaks first. "Radara could you take Rebecca outside with Blade, I need to talk to Diana alone for a bit." Radara looks at him and simply nods and beckons Rebecca to follow. Rebecca gives Thomas a worried look. He smiles at her and scratches behind her ear, her little sweet spot that she always loves to get scratched in. She smiles at him then follows Radara out. Blade on the other hand refuses to leave her side at all and plants himself next to Diana.

Diana taps him a bit hard on his head "You stubborn fool; I can take care of myself. He won't do anything for you to fret over. Now scoot and go play with the other Pokemon or go back to working on the garden for now." Blade looks downcast with this and follows the others out. Just as he walks past Thomas, he growls at him. "Just leave him alone already." She tosses a cushion at Blade, which he jumps to avoid and takes off. "I swear Blade is worse that having a mother. He never lets me get close to anyone. You do remember the time we had slept together at my old place. How he always nestled between us refusing to let you near me."

"Yeah I do remember that, he was always getting between us no matter what it was that my father was doing. Blade made it hard to even pour you a cup of tea." Thomas replied. "As for my father's promised, I'm not sure how I feel about it right now."

"I understand, you finally learned to open your heart, but to another haven't you?" Diana smiles at this. "I wasn't expecting the same love your father gave me anyway."

"Yes, I have. You can thank Radara and Juno for that." Thomas informed Diana taking a seat.

"Might I ask who the lucky girl is to have a man like you, but more importantly, does she know what you are?" Diana asked.

"Yes, she knows, and she doesn't care. She's made that statement pretty clear." Thomas informs Diana. "As for who she is, well, I'm not sure how will you take it?"

"It's not Radara or Juno is it?" Diana asked.

"Oh no, it's not one of them." Thomas replied. "However, they were pretty close guesses." Thomas stated attempting to recall Diana's views on matters such as this, but failing find enough clear memories to make such a call.

"Huh?" Diana looks at Thomas a bit confused. "Then you mean your Lucario?"

"Yes, Rebecca. She's been with me for roughly eight years. We just recently became a couple however." Thomas explained.

"I see." Diana looks down, a bit upset that Thomas had fallen in love with someone else after so long.

"If it means anything to you, I'm sure my father would have become your mate if he wasn't so close to his reincarnation when you first met him." Thomas smiles trying to help lighten the pain he had caused her so many years ago.

"I wish that we had more time together back then, but we can't always have what we want." Diana replied opening the box. "Thomas, there is one thing you can do for me now though. Please, open this music box so that I can hear its song one last time before you leave again." Diana pulled out an old looking wooden box that was just larger then her hand. A small keyhole kept the box tightly closed preventing anyone from opening the undecorated box. "I lost the key a long time ago and can't seem to find it again."

"That I can do." Thomas smiled placing a finger on the keyhole. His eyes gave of dull glow, as did his finger before he slowly turned his finger. There was a slight click before the top popped up just a bit showing that the box had been opened. Lifting the lid the rest of the way revealed a small golden ring with four spikes coming out of it reaching into the corners of the box. A quite and gentle tune began to play as the ring in the middle of the box began to turn. The tune was a bit slow, mostly filled with light chimes, but it still had a powerful effect on Thomas.

An immense storm of memories from one of his first lives hit Thomas with an indescribable force. Thomas yells out in pain as he grabs his head in pain from the unintentional awaking. Diana quickly gets up as Thomas falls to his knees. Diana got down on her knees beside Thomas as his mind tried to make sense of everything that was going through his head.

Image stacked upon image flew through his head. With so many memories reawakening all at once, there were just too many images and memories to sort through and rather then see the events in some order; images of the life he was reliving came randomly. He saw images of his body just before reincarnation then images of early teen years before they flipped back to a point in the middle of that life before shifting once again. It was impossible for Thomas to tell which life he was reliving much less what his own name was in the seconds that this was all taking place.

Rebecca and Radara came running into the house seconds after Diana knelt down to try and help Thomas. Blade was close behind them. Still, it was too much for Thomas and he lost consciousness trying to deal with the new memories that had just awakened.

--

As Thomas came back to his senses, he shifted positions on the bed he was on. He could hear the sounds of voices beside him, but couldn't quite place them. As he rolled over he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred and a few images still remained from his past life. Although his mind was still in a jumble, he was at least able to make out the events of the past few days quite clearly.

It took a few more seconds for his head to clear up, but the voices were finally clear to him.

'_Rebecca, for the last time, he will be fine, but he needs some rest.'_ Radara's voice was clear, but because she was a psychic, there was no way to tell how close to the bed she was.

"Rebecca, I'm just as concerned as you are, but I think we should trust Radara on this." Diana stated her voice a bit off from his location behind him. Now with his vision perfectly clear, he took a look out the window and saw that it was now dark out. This left his wondering how long he had been out.

Rebecca took a seat on the edge of the bed. With the lot of them gathered in the guestroom, it was just a bit crowded. With Diana standing in the doorway, Radara sitting on the chair in the room while Blade sat between Diana and everyone else in the small room, space was limited. As Thomas shifted again, Rebecca took notice and turned to face him.

'_THOMAS!'_ Rebecca's voice shouted within his head. Thomas once again grabbed his head in pain surprised by Rebecca shouting his name. _'Are you alright?'_

"As long as you quite down some, I should be fine. My head is pounding from that premature awakening." Thomas stated. "I have no idea what caused that surge."

"I think I know what happened and I'm sorry." Diana stating as Thomas slowly got up. She held up the closed music box in her hand showing it to Thomas. "Back when you told me about what you were and why you couldn't let me raise you in your current body, you told it was to prevent a premature awakening of memories. Guessing from the way you were shouting and holding your head before passing out."

"It's not your fault. I didn't even think that would happen myself." Thomas stated. "Would you happen something I can take for this headache though?"

'_Thomas, what happened back there? I heard you scream and then saw you pass out.'_ Rebecca asked.

"I'm fine; you remember that headache I got when I got those memories about Diana from my father." Thomas explained.

'_Yea.'_ Rebecca replied, still looking worried that something was wrong.

"Back when I got those memories about Diana that was just a short two years worth of memories and only parts of those two years at that. If what Diana said is true, that music box woke up one whole cycle of my life all at once, a full hundred and twenty years of memories all at once. It was too much for me handle that fast." Thomas explained.

'_What cycle was accidently woken up?'_ Radara asked.

"It's still too messed up, I can't tell right now. Nothing appears in order, and I've got memories that are still mixed together." Thomas explained. "It will take time for everything to sort itself out."

"I'm sorry. I'll be right back after I see if I have anything that you can take for the pain." Diana said as she started walking out of the room and down the hall with Blade by her side.

He sighs as he lies back onto the pillows. He looks towards Rebecca seeing her worried look across her face. Something else he has failed to notice before that he dread locks seem to move even though she was not using her aura. More like they seemed to be conveying her feelings of unrest she was feeling. "Rebecca I need you to calm down for me seeing you like this is not helping me."

Rebecca was actually holding his hand within her paws and squeezing it tight. _'You collapsed on the floor earlier. You seemed to be having …a…what was it called again.' _She searched desperately for the word she wanted, but couldn't find it.

Then Radara, looking into her head quickly knows what the word is. _'A seizure.'_

Rebecca smiles at this. _'That's it a seizure. How can you be so mean to me? I care about you and you still seem to try to push me away.' _She says sadly.

"I am sorry Rebecca I never meant to push you away I am just trying to sort this out." He sighs trying to make sense of his own thoughts. With so many memories to sort through and with his mind still trying to put them into order, Thomas is forced to suffer from an awful headache. He is brought out of his melancholy state with Rebecca shouting at him once more. "It's nothing to worry about right now."

'_You mean like in the garden this morning? Don't think I didn't notice your aura change when you seem to freak out in the garden earlier. I know you were lying to me when you said you alright.'_ She looked at with a stern face. _'We're mates now. Please, let me help you.'_

Thomas looks at Rebecca and seeing her persistence, he knows Rebecca would do her best to make sure she got the truth out of him one way or another. Realizing how far she's already gone to get to know him, he knows that she'll find out sooner or later.

"Fine. Radara keep look out I just want this to between us. I wanted to talk to Radara about it Rebecca before I told you about this because I don't even know if what I saw was real." He rubs his forehead as to recall what he saw, as Radara takes place near the door to look out. "Earlier I had a vision so to speak. I saw an older version of you, 40 or 50 years from now. That's not what made me freak out though. I know one day you will grow older Rebecca, but I also saw myself in an aging body as well. "

Even though Radara doesn't turn to look at him, her voice is still heard within his head. '_Vision? That's impossible Thomas, none of us have ever had that ability and I have never heard of any of our kind with that power.' _

He looks towards her "I know what I saw. It felt so real like I was seeing a path a future that was never there for me. We both also know that half of my abilities come from that thing's taint on us from that battle all those years ago. What if I'm finally able to tap into some new powers, this wouldn't be the first time that I've grown in power."

Radara simply sits there as she tries to comprehend this. _'Thomas you must realize that we stop again shortly after reaching full maturity. We then live with same body until our next cycle. It has never changed, not even once in our vast life times. What you saw is something that your heart is trying mak…' _

"Then why did you see it to Radara? If was a trick of my heart you shouldn't have been able to seen it that clear. If it was all a daydream as you're telling me, then tell me this. Why did you see it?" He sits there looking at Radara's turn back.

'_They're coming, we'll talk later.'_ She simply says.

"Yes we will Radara." This was the first time in a long time that he actually told Radara that in the many years they have traveled together.

Diana returns with some aspirin and water to drink it down, also with a tray carrying some snacks for all to eat. "I am sorry I took so long, I wanted to get you all something to eat. I know you haven't eaten since before you got here nearly seven hours ago."

"Wait, seven hours? What time is it?" Thomas asked.

"A little after ten. You're welcome to spend the night here." Diana offered as she set down the tray of small sandwiches, berries, and a few Pokemon treats on the edge of the bed next to Thomas. As everyone gathered around to eat something, Diana could tell Thomas was in deep thought.

"I thank you for generous offer." Thomas states as he gets up. "However, I think it would be best if I spent the night at the Pokemon center. I would not be surprised if I woke up screaming tonight possibly reliving events from one of the many wars I have seen tonight and I would hate to wake you up tonight. I'll leave my things here tonight and come back for them tomorrow."

"I understand." Diana smiled. "I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow then."

"I'll come back over sometime between ten and noon." Thomas saw his bag and looked it over real quick seeing what all he had and making sure everything was there. "I guess we should get going for now." Thomas looked over at Radara and Rebecca. Radara quickly nodded knowing that they would have time privacy in the morning to talk things over properly.

With that, Thomas, Radara, and Rebecca took their leave.

--

It was a short walk over to Pokemon Center. Thomas walked in with his Pokemon on either side and walked right up to the counter. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy. I would like a room for the night." Thomas declared as he reached the desk.

Nurse Joy just smiled. "Of course. I'll just need to see your Pokedex to sign you in." Thomas reached into his back pocket pulling out the red device before handing it to Nurse Joy. She flipped it open and after a quick scan, Thomas was checked in. "Would you like for me to give your Pokemon a check-up while you're here?"

"That can wait until the morning; we've had a long day of traveling, but nothing serious." Thomas stated as he was handed a room along with his Pokedex.

"Very well. You'll be sleeping in room 125. It's just down the hall on your right near the end of the hall. You're very lucky to sign in when you did. That was one of our last two rooms." Nurse Joy stated as Thomas started for his room.

Thomas has just left the desk when a female voice called out from behind him. "No, it couldn't be. Thomas, is that you?" Thomas stopped dead as the voice called his name.

'_No way. Please tell me that I'm just hearing things.'_ Thomas closed his eyes as the voice called out again.

"Thomas, it is you. Oh it's been months since we last met." Thomas turned slowly with a forced smile to face a young lady just shorter then himself. Her long blue hair reached down past her shoulders nearing her waist and her red eyes were all it took for Thomas to confirm his fear.

"Hello Sarah." Thomas quietly stated as he looked her over. Like always, she was in her faded blue jeans and loose fitting blue t-shirt. Even her belt, Pokeballs, and boots were blue as well.

'_Well, this certainly is an unwanted surprise. Wouldn't you agree Thomas?'_ Radara psychically informed Thomas. Thomas gave a gentle nod showing his agreement.

"Wow Rebecca, you're really looking great. Your fur looks perfect." Sarah complimented Rebecca causing her to blush just a bit. "You do take good care of her Thomas. I really like how well groomed she is."

'_Thank you.'_ Rebecca quietly replied.

"So, Thomas, think we can share a room here tonight so that we can catch up on old times?" Sarah asked.

"They've still got one room left." Thomas countered.

"Really, what a shame." Sarah sighed. Just as she turned to the desk, another trainer who had just walked in asked for a room.

"And here you are. It's our last room, 113." Nurse Joy smiled down at the young boy who must have just recently started his journey.

"Well, I guess we'll be bunking together after all." Sarah smiled seeing that the last room had been taken.

Thomas was at a loss. "Fine, but we're not sharing the same bunk." Thomas quietly stated.

'_Are you seriously going to let her share a room with us?'_ Radara asked knowing how much Thomas disliked her.

'_We both know that she'll see things differently if I just ask her to stay at the local hotel. She'll go to her father who will then talk to Vivian adding to the problem I already have saying that I should have been with her the whole time. And unlike the hotel in Rustboro, they don't allow Pokemon outside of their Pokeballs here in Petalburg.'_ Thomas thought knowing Radara would pick up on them like always. _'The last thing I need right now is more problems. Besides, how bad can one night be?'_

"Oh, come on Thomas." Sarah took a small pose leaning her chest forward and placing an arm behind her head. "You can't really tell me that you wouldn't want to sleep beside me now would you?" She teased.

'_Then again, I could be wrong.'_ Thomas's head dropped forward remember just how bad she could be at times. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:  
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.  
_'Character Thought'_  
(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 5

Thomas went to bed early that night knowing that he would have to get up extra early to try and leave Sarah behind once again. Even though she tried to keep him up late, he stated that he was tired from a long day and wanted to sleep that he would talk to her tomorrow. Seeing that he had no reason to lie about being tired since it was in fact getting late, she then made the attempt to share a bed with him despite the fact that there were two bunk beds in the room and a spare cot. She claimed that she was 'afraid of the dark', but Thomas knew better.

As everyone took their spot, Thomas and Rebecca were forced to spend the night in separate beds. As for Juno and Radara, they once again shared a bed and began formulating a plan to attempt to get rid of Sarah for a while. Everyone except for Radara and Juno were quick to pass out for the night, but they soon followed everyone else.

As the sun began to rise, Thomas shot up from his position, his breathing hard as the last images of a long forgotten war faded from his mind. As he looked down at the clock; he realized that he might as well start getting ready for the day. He climbed down from the bunk he was on taking a look around the room. As usual, Radara and Juno were sharing a bunk. Juno was once again using her many tales to keep the two of them warm. Looking over to the other bunk, he found that Sarah was still sleeping on the top while his Floatzel and Zangoose were resting side by side on the bottom bunk. Looking over to the extra cot in the room, Thomas saw Rebecca resting peacefully.

Deciding that he would let his Pokemon sleep for a few more minutes, he grabbed his bag and went to take a quick shower. Once done, he returned to his room to wake up his Pokemon and get ready to head out. He gently shook Razor and Aqua before heading over to Juno and Radara waking them with a light whistle. With four his Pokemon now up and starting to move, he turned to Rebecca and gently shook her as well. She gladly welcomed his wake up call with a smile. '_So far so good.'_ Thomas thought since Sarah was a heavy sleeper and she always liked to sleep late unlike Thomas. This was once again a key part of leaving her behind.

With his entire crew finally up and moving, Thomas prepared to leave and head out for breakfast rather then wait for Nurse Joy to open up the Trainer's Kitchen. As they approached the front doors he thought that he was in the clear and was almost ready to go see Diana early to retrieve his stuff and hit the road once more.

Then suddenly, just before he reached the entrance of the Pokemon Center, Thomas felt a chill race down his spine as if he had been hit with a blizzard attack. He heard her call out to him. "Thomas, how could you just up and leave me like that with out waking me up. I thought we were traveling together once more." Sarah said with a hurt tone in her voice.

He looked over to her and noticed that she had rushed to get dressed. She was still putting her belt while trying to slip her shoes on. Her hair was a mess as she dragged her hiking bag and her pouch over her shoulder. His only thought through all this was _'So close.'_

"Morning Sarah. I just was going to get … breakfast, so I didn't want to wake you. I know you like to sleep in late. You don't need to rush on my account. Look we'll be back soon just go back to the room and I'll be back to pick you up later." Thomas stated calmly.

Radara looks at Thomas. _'You're getting better at lying to women you know that, but I doubt that will work with Rebecca. Rebecca can read your aura, and know that you're lying at anytime. Besides, I would kill you if you did that to her.' _After a second Thomas realize that Radara was serious and didn't argue the point.

Sarah looked at him. "Oh no, you did this before and you ditched me back at the other poke center last year. You're not doing it this time." She states as she runs up to him still getting dressed.

"Look Sarah I have some stuff to do so I would like to get them done. I will come back here and pick you up later ok." Thomas once again lied knowing full well he didn't want to bring her with them to Diana's house because that would bring up a mass of unwanted questions that he didn't want to answer. He glanced in Radara's direction to try to get see if she had a plan that didn't involve hurting Sarah, which would only add more things to the current list of problems. After a quick look into her mind, Radara hung her head in defeat knowing there was really no way to escape this girl short of using his abilities to try and teleport away.

'_She's taking a long deserved break from her training and she is more then willing to spend it travelling if it means she can join up with us again.'_ Radara stated.

Sarah finished her last second preparations and with that was ready to go herself. "So, let's go get breakfast then." Sarah smiled knowing that she was once again going to travel with Thomas.

Aside from Rebecca and Radara, Thomas had called back his other Pokemon for now and the group of now four including Sarah headed for a nearby early bird dinner that served breakfast extra early. As they arrived at the dinner, Sarah let out her two prized Pokemon out, her Dragonair and her starter, Sceptile.

After breakfast, Thomas still had some time to try and lose Sarah before heading to Diana's to collect his things. With Sarah's mind set on traveling with Thomas once again however, all of his attempts to lose her in the few hours he had before he went to meet Diana once again were tossed aside one at a time until he had no choice but to start making his way there or risk being late.

--

Thomas along with Radara and Rebecca returned to the old Victorian house with Sarah right behind them. "Wow, your father's friend has a really nice house. I always did like the old Victorian styles. Don't you think that they are beautiful Thomas?" Sarah looked up at the house.

"Sort of, but I'd prefer a house that's a bit smaller myself." Thomas replied walking up to the front door. He looked down at Radara letting her know that he would need a few seconds to explain why he had a quest to Diana. Thomas knocked on the door and a few seconds later, Diana showed up to let them.

"Uh, Thomas, who is this?" Diana asked upon seeing Sarah.

"I'm Sarah Williams." Sarah smiled walking up to meet Diana. "I'm a good friend of Thomas's. It's great to meet you."

'_I tried to leave her behind, but she just can't no for an answer. I'd try the direct route, but I've already got enough problems with the Falston's without her getting involved on the matter.'_ Thomas thought having Radara transfer the thought to Diana.

"I see, it's nice to meet you too." Diana said looking at Thomas with a slightly confused look.

'_As far as she needs to know, I'm just here to pick up a few of my father's things. She is the last person this planet who needs to know what I am. I swear I'll contact you later once I find a way to lose her.'_ Thomas had the thought once again transferred to Diana with Radara's help.

"I afraid we can't stay too long. I've already arranged to meet up with an old friend in the Kanto region." Thomas stated.

After looking down at Radara who gave her a confirming nod showing that Thomas was telling her the truth, Diana looked at Thomas with a look showing that she understood what he had told her and why he had to leave. "I don't have much to give you, but I found them while cleaning out the attic a few weeks ago and it took me a while to try and track you down." Diana lied. "There just taking up space right now. Come on in." Diana showed them to the living room.

As the group walked into the room, Blade once again showed up ready to protect his master whether she needed it or not. As Diana walked over to a large bookcase, Thomas, Sarah, and Rebecca all took a seat on the couch while Radara lay down in a chair off to the side. "Here we are." Diana pulled down the long box and placed it on the table in front of Thomas.

Thomas slowly opened the box revealing all of the things he had left behind in his past life only to retrieve now. Lying on top of the majority of the items was a large, single edged blade in a black leather sheath with a long, thin nylon strap wrapped around it obviously meant to help carry the blade on ones back.

"Wow." Thomas stated as he slowly unsheathed the blade. Looking partially like a katana, but with a mostly straight blade except for the tip, which leaned back just a bit. Slightly shorter then his arm was long, the blade appeared to be made of a cobalt colored metal that shined brightly in the light. _'I almost forgot how beautiful the Dragon's Fang was.'_

"Thomas, that blade. It's absolutely beautiful. I've never seen such a gentle shade of blue on a sword like it." Sarah said in awe. Even Rebecca was looking at the sword.

"Be careful, that edge is still as sharp as it was the day your father left it with me." Diana warned.

"Thank you for taking such good care of it." Thomas slowly sheathed the blade setting it carefully off to the side before looking back in the box. A small number of odds and ends, little things like an emerald amulet and a pair of sapphire rings, were carefully placed on the bottom of the box, each one in a small plastic bag to help keep them separate. He slowly went over each time before choosing a spot in his backpack to store them.

On end of the box, Thomas saw the music again, which raised a few distinct memories involving why the box had been made, but he held them back. Looking past the music box, Thomas saw a small purple pouch. Opening it up, Thomas found a few gold coins he had left behind to act as currency should he need it at time during his life. After putting the few gold coins back in the pouch, Thomas pulled out the last item in the box.

The last item was a small wooden box and while it was similar to the music box, it had a large circle on the top split into four parts with a small dot in each of the four sections. Opening up the small box, Thomas found a single waiting in the middle on the bottom half of the box with a small number of assorted gemstones held in place underneath the top of the box. The glove itself was the same color as the blade, but half of each of the fingers on the glove was missing. On the top of the glove was a rather disc like those found a Riolu, but rather then looking like a bone, the disc was a very dark shade of green, but it didn't look like any sort of gemstone. _'Ah, I remember this.'_ Thomas smiled a bit. _'I'll be needing this soon enough as it is.'_ Thomas stated taking it out of the box. Thomas gently slipped the glove over his right hand finding it a perfect fit reaching down a small ways past his wrist..

"Well, that's a strange looking glove." Sarah stated looking at it as Thomas put it on. "I wonder what it was used for?"

"I'm not sure myself, your father never talked too much about that glove, he just asked me to hold on to it." Diana stated.

'_This will be the first time in a number of incarnations I will actually have need of this glove. I just hope the ritual goes well.'_ Thomas stated flexing his fingers finding the glove gave him the full use of his hand. He slowly took it off and put it back into the box before putting the box into his bag as well.

"It looked like your father had quite a few gemstones. Do you think he was a collector?" Sarah asked looking at Thomas.

"I never met him remember." Thomas replied. "I can only guess at what he did."

"I hope you find them useful in some way." Diana smiled as the group got up. "I wish you luck on you're journey. I'll be cleaning house for a few more weeks while we remodel the place. Might I ask where you're going incase I find anything else belonging to your father?"

Once again there was a psychic spike in Thomas's mind and before he could stop himself he answered her question with Sarah right there next to him. "I'm working my way towards Mount Moon." Thomas looked up just a bit at his mistake and quietly mumbled something under his breath.

"Mount Moon, huh. I haven't been there in ages." Sarah smiled. "The view from the summit was wonderful though. I can't wait to show you Thomas."

Thomas strapped the sword to his back and then put his backpack on effectively hiding the blade for now for the most part. "If you're heading to Mount Moon, can I have your cell number just in case I need to contact you?" Diana asked.

"Sure." Thomas saw a small notepad with a pencil and wrote down his number before handing it to Diana.

Sarah took a quick look at the note and then looked to Thomas. "Hey, you didn't tell me you got a new number."

"I broke my last phone two months ago. I tried calling you, but couldn't remember the last two digits." Thomas quickly lied in the attempt to get her off his back.

"It 423-538-5832." Sarah stated. "Just put it your new phone and your PokeNav so that you don't forgot it."

Deciding to just go along with it for now, Thomas quickly entered the number into both devices and would just delete them later. "Well, we're off to Mount Moon." Sarah turned back to face Diana as they exited the house. "It was nice meeting you."

"And it was nice meeting you as well. Try to behave yourselves." Diana waved goodbye knowing that Thomas would make good on his promise to call her back later since she already knew what he was and Radara would make sure that he called her.

"So, how are getting to the Kanto Region. We could take a plane or the ferry." Sarah stated as they left the house.

"I would prefer the ferry. Flying was never my thing." Thomas shuddered just a bit recalling a few distinctly painful and frightful memories from a few previous flight attempts back when saddling a flying-type Pokemon was the only way to fly.

'_Thomas, what's wrong?'_ Rebecca asked seeing a small change in Thomas's aura.

'_Thomas has a few bad memories when it comes to flying. He hasn't even considered the thought for a few lifetimes.'_ Radara explained. _'And given that most airlines don't let Pokemon run free on the planes except in very unique cases, I'm inclined to take the ferry as well.'_

"Your not telling me that you're afraid to fly, are you?" Sarah asked.

"More uncomfortable rather then afraid really. If you're going to insist on traveling with me though, we do things my way." Thomas stated.

"Okay, I guess I can't really argue with that." Sarah stated. "We might even be able to make it to Slateport by night fall if we hurry up to the bus station."

"That could be true. You do have money to get your own tickets for the bus and ferry right though. I'm not sure how much I still have for the next days. Andrew said that he would transfer some money to me by the end of the week though since I helped out with a few things around the house before coming out this way." Thomas stated.

"Yea, I got plenty to handle myself for right now." Sarah stated. "With my Dragonair winning all those contests lately, I've been making more then I usual do even with all those battle tournaments I place in."

"Well, come on then. We can talk on the bus on our way down there." Thomas sighed knowing that that's exactly what she would do once they got on the bus.

xXx

And talk she did. Sitting in the very back of the bus, Thomas sat between Sarah and Rebecca while Radara sat on his lap. Sarah seemed to talk non-stop. For a brief few seconds Thomas actually hoped for something to happen that might quiet Sarah down like the bus getting ambushed by the current day crime syndicates, Team Magma or Aqua. He quickly dismissed the thoughts though thinking that they would most likely do more harm then good.

Still, Sarah continued to talk and talk. She talked about how she had won her 3 ribbons in a row with her Dragonair and how she also met the famous Dawn and almost beat her at a contest a few weeks ago. She went over nearly everything she had done since she lost track of Thomas during their last departure from one another.

Radara finally says something to try and help Thomas along. _'Now now Thomas be nice, she hasn't seen you in a while. Let her have her fun and make it look like you actually care.'_ He looks at Radara knowing full well he would like to say 'I don't care.' He simply sits there and nods with a forced grin on his face.

Rebecca on the other hand notices how much Thomas's Aura seems to change from anger to depression to out right impatience. She started thinking that maybe he doesn't actually care about Sarah too much. Looking at Sarah's aura however, Rebecca noticed how it had a very bright shade of happiness, and even love to it, which seems to be directed towards Thomas. Rebecca then questions that if she had not confessed her feeling towards Thomas, would he have fallen for this girl. She quickly banishes the thought however mostly because it seemed that Sarah was more of an annoyance than anything to him at the moment always talking about traveling together and what they would do in the future.

Sarah looks at Thomas simply smiling at her as she talks about contest and her travels and why he hasn't talked to her over the past year. She leans onto Thomas knowing in less then an hour, they will arrive in Slateport. She feels at ease knowing that she has someone to be close to.

She is brought out of her little world as Thomas nudges her a bit and says "We have to get ready to get off soon were almost there."

Then Sarah starts to talk about the times she ahs been here with her family always wanted to come here with Thomas. How it would be a fun time to go to the beach and enjoy the ocean. "Not really." Thomas mumbles under his breath as the bus pulls up to the Bus Area.

"What was that Thomas?" Sarah asked.

"I said were here." Thomas stated as he got up and walked towards the front of the bus behind a laughing Rebecca and Radara. Both of them knowing what Thomas had really said due to the point of having better hearing than Sarah.

As he got off the bus he sped up his walking pace just a bit and much like a phantom, he cut through the crowd like they weren't even there. Both Rebecca and Radara having no trouble keeping up with him since he always moved like this. This left Sarah stumbling over everyone and their pokemon trying to keep up with Thomas however.

"Thomas wait up don't leave me behind." Sarah shouts she tries and fails to keep up with Thomas.

Thomas turns around just as a baggage car towing several carts of boxes behind him moves between them. "I'll buy your ticket for you ok so don't worry about it ok. I have it for you when you catch up ok." He smiles as turns to finish making his way towards the ticket booth.

'_That wasn't nice to leave her like that Thomas. You might hurt the poor girl's feelings.'_ Radara snickers at the comment she just made.

Thomas keeps moving with a poor attempt to keep a smile from growing on his face.

Rebecca just follows along enjoying this game as she calls it. Avoiding all the people was a game she love to do even as a Riolu. She was a bundle of energy as Radara told her once. Before a Gym Battle once she had actually took off from them and got lost. She had gotten only a few blocks ahead of them that she had lost sight of Radara and Thomas. She had cried until they found her. Since then until she had evolved Thomas had always keep her close or carried her refusing to lose her once more like that.

Finally they arrive at the Port and found the Ticket booth. Thomas walks up to the booth with his Pokedex out and waiting to be scanned for payment. " I would like to buy 2 cabin rooms please."

The ticket holder looks at him. "Oh one for you and your pokemon right."

"Uh no. One is for a friend, I just want to be alone." Thomas replied.

The ticket hold nods "Well seeing that you're a Pokemon trainer, I would have assumed that you will want the Trainer's room so that your Pokemon won't have stay in their Pokeballs for the duration of the voyage. Pokemon may be allowed to run around the ship with their trainer accompanying them, but those cabins are a bit small to share with a group."

Thomas knew that it would be pricy but worth it just so they his Pokemon could have a well deserved break since he had to cut their last one short. Either way, he needed room to let his entire out every now and then during the five day trip to Kanto since they would have to go around the Johto region to get there. "On that note, I'll take two of these Trainer Rooms." Thomas knew that this would wipe out his bank account for now, but it would be well worth it to not share a room with Sarah.

As Thomas finishes paying the tickets, a flustered and exhausted looking Sarah arrives to meet up with him. "Why didn't you wait up Thomas. We could have walked her instead of rushing. The ferry doesn't leave for another hour."

"Really I didn't know that." He looks up at the departure times. "Wow you're right, sorry about that." He gives her a smile. "Well anyway here your ticket and key to your room on the boat. I paid extra to get us a larger room ok."

She smiles at this thinking they were going to be sharing the same room. Until she notices that he has a different number on his key than her key. "Hey wait a minute aren't we in the same room?" He stops and looks back at her. "No The way I see, we both have five Pokemon each with that new Dragonair of yours and these Trainer Rooms are made for a trainer to share with their Pokemon."

"I guess that makes sense." Sarah stated before smiling once again seeing that their rooms were right next to each other. "At least our rooms are close."

"Since we do in fact have some time, I'm going to get my Pokemon checked out before the trip." Thomas informed Sarah making his way back across the still crowded dock just like before.

"Thomas, wait up." Sarah shouted moving to catch up with him. This time it was much easier consider that they were going with the flow of people then trying to work their way through the disembarking crowds.

xXx

After roughly forty minutes, both Sarah and Thomas had all of their Pokemon checked out at the Pokemon Center and after a quick stop in the Pokemart for a few last minute supplies, both of them returned to S.S. Seaking for their voyage to Kanto.

It was lucky that Sarah and Thomas showed up just as the ship was getting ready to let everyone on board. Being one of the first coming aboard, they were easily able to make it down to their room without having to fight anyone in the hallways. It still took a short while to get to their rooms with the ship being as large as it was, but once there, they were quite pleased. Thomas put the key into the door and turned the lock to his room while Sarah did the same for her room.

As the door opened, Thomas stood in surprise. The room was very large indeed and rather then just a single bed like the basic cabins had, the room had a pair of smaller beds in the far corners of the room for Pokemon. Thomas took a good look around the room noting all of the little things that were added for trainers like a case right next to the bed designed to hold his Pokeballs when there weren't in use as well as a small device Thomas easily recognized that was used to clean and shine Pokeballs.

There was a small kitchen area in one corner of the room and a pair of couches, on the left wall and one on the right. While most of the center of the room was just empty floor space, most everything was bolted down in some way to prevent things from going all over the place just incase the ocean got a little rough. Rebecca and Radara also looked pleased with the room and began to look around while Thomas headed over to the closet, which was right next to the bathroom. As he set his bag down in the closet, he took a look over into the bathroom. The bathtub was almost as large as the bed. "They really had the Pokemon in mind when they designed the bathroom. You could probably wash a Snorlax in there with ease." Thomas stated.

Noticing a small book on his bed, Thomas went over and picked up it after reading that it was a guidebook for trainers and what rules there were for Pokemon on board the ship. He released the rest of his Pokemon into the room before looking over the guidebook. "Okay, we all know that I'll be sleeping on the bed with Rebecca by my side, you all decide where the rest of you will be sleeping." Thomas quickly began to read it as his Pokemon looked the room and talked amongst themselves before they settled on who was sleeping where. Thomas was still reading the book as they finished their discussion and started to look over the rest of the room.

"Alright, listen up. According to the ship's guidebook, you'll have to stick close to me for the most part. Don't go wandering too far." Thomas looks up as his Pokemon gather around expect for Rebecca who had taken a seat next to him. "Battling is restricted to the five battling rooms and the one on the main deck. A battle anywhere can result in my having to leave you locked up in your Pokeball for the voyage. I know that none of you are big time eaters, but it is asked that I still try to keep you from eating everything." Thomas informed the group before. "And on a final note, have fun. I owe you for cutting our vacation short back at the manor." Thomas smiled as his Pokemon all seemed to cheer in their own way.

Mere seconds later, Sarah walked into his room. "Well, I'm all set. What about you?"

"Just finished reading the guidebook. I'm pretty much set for now as well." Thomas stated.

"Let's get going then. I can't wait to hit the pool." Sarah smiled.

"I'm just going to go walking around for a bit, get the general layout of the ship so I don't get lost to easily." Thomas replied.

"Oh, well, I'll come with you. I would hate to get lost on a ship like this. It's huge." Sarah tilted her head some thinking about how big the ship really was.

"It might be best to wait a bit before we start wandering around though. It is starting to get late I would assume that everyone is getting ready for bed." Thomas looked over the clock before looking out the window as the last rays of the sun began to fade away.

--

After waiting a short while for everyone to get aboard and the ship to leave the dock, Thomas and Sarah left their rooms and started looking around. With it being so late, most of Thomas's Pokemon had decided to stay in the room and get some sleep expect for Rebecca who decided to walk with Thomas. Like Thomas, Sarah has also released all of her Pokemon who also decided to stay in the room other then Sarah's Umbreon who always enjoyed a nighttime walk.

As the four of them walked around, they passed a few other trainers and their Pokemon also walking about while they explored the ship.

It wasn't too long before a small flyer caught Thomas's eye. A contest was being held for trainers, which offered a free room upgrade to the winner, but what caught Thomas's eye was the $1,000 prize that went with the room. Thinking about how much he had just spent, he looked down at Radara who then looked over the flyer herself. Sarah had yet to even look at the flyer as she was looked at the view on the side of the boat watching the first of the stars shine in the night.

Thomas could tell that Radara was debating with herself as the looked the flyer over. _'We could use the money right now and I could use the practice.'_ Radara finally answered. Thomas gave her a surprised look that she had agreed so easy knowing that it wouldn't be much a contest for her considering how old and powerful she really was. _'Besides, a luxury sounds real nice right now. I think we've earned a real break.'_ Thomas instantly understood why she had agreed so quickly after that comment.

"Thomas, look at this flyer." Sarah stated.

"I've already looked it over and yes I'll be entering. I could that 1,000 dollars for the trip to Mount Moon." Thomas replied.

"Who cares about the money, we can get plenty of that from our parents if we really need it. I'm talking about the room. Can you just image the two of us sharing a luxury room like this?" Sarah exclaimed already imaging just how fun it would be.

The four of them restarted their walk around the ship and before long, they had returned to their rooms for the night.

xXx

Thomas signed up for the tournament the next day with Radara as his partner. The two of them mostly waited by the pool watching everyone else enjoy themselves while they waited for the announcement that the tournament was starting. They headed up to the main battlefield, which was thankfully next to the pool so Thomas could leave Juno, Razor, and Aqua there while he went to battle. Sarah had also left her Pokemon at the pool expect for her Sceptile which she had entered the contest with in the hopes of the winning the room to share with Thomas.

The first set of rounds went by quickly and the skilled expert trainers were separated from everyone else all looking for a chance at the room and cash prize. Thomas and Sarah had both made it last set of rounds with ease having the luck to fight some of the easier opponents. It had taken most of the day since the tournament first began, but at last, Thomas and Radara had made it to the finals facing none other then Sarah and Sceptile.

Radara quickly looked into Thomas's mind as Sarah won her battle in the semi-finals and could tell that Thomas wanted nothing better then to knock her down a peg. _'Thomas, treat her nicely. I'm not fighting just so you can teach her a lesson.'_

'_I know. I know.'_ Thomas thought. _'Just end it fast for me would you. Put her Sceptile to sleep, it should still be a bit weak from all that battles that it's been through today.'_

'_I agree.'_ Radara stated as she walked onto the battlefield.

Sarah knew that her Sceptile was weak from all of the other battles today, but she still wanted to fight Thomas. Either way, she knew that she was going to get that Luxury room prize at this point, but it still couldn't hurt to battle Thomas and Radara.

As the match started, Radara moved in quickly using teleport to get behind Sarah's Sceptile. Sarah knew that Radara would most likely do and had her Sceptile turn around to face Radara only to get a powerful Psychic blast to his face. Sceptile stumbled backwards just a bit and before he could regain his posture, Radara struck again, this time with an attack Psychic blast pointed straight down at the ground. Under the pressure of the attack, the Sceptile was forced onto it's back. To quickly finish the match, Radara ran over and while the Sceptile was just getting up, it gazed right into Radara hypnotic eyes before passing out. The match was called and Thomas had won

Sarah had called back her Pokemon as Thomas was called upon by the caption to receive his prize. With the small tournament now at a close, everyone was thanked for participating and congratulated for the skills they had shown. As the group dispersed, Sarah rushed over to meet Thomas.

"That was a cheap trick you pulled." Sarah stated as she walked while the captain was presenting Thomas with the key to his new room. "Ending the match like that. But at least you didn't really hurt my Sceptile." She smiled. "So, where's our new room at?"

"Do you two know each other?" The caption asked.

"We're traveling together, but we got separate Trainer Rooms so we could let all of our Pokemon out and let them enjoy themselves." Sarah stated before Thomas had a chance to answer.

"I see. We'll if the two of you are traveling together, then I guess that you'd like to share the same room." The caption smiled. "You two look like you'd make a nice couple. Have fun." The Caption handed the second key to the room to Sarah before Thomas even had a chance to argue and his whole plan of getting separate rooms quickly disappeared. He began to shift through his memories and try and figure out if he had did something wrong in a past life to warrant this.

In the effort of holding his tongue however, his chance of getting some privacy from Sarah had slipped through his fingers.

--

Thomas had called back most of his Pokemon with the usual exceptions while Sarah had called back all of hers so that they could get their things and move into the new room for the remaining three days of the trip.

Once both of them had gathered their things, they made their way to their new room and opened the door.

Both of them were quite surprised to find the room was nearly double the size of the Trainer Rooms they had before. A massive bed was leaning against the far wall with a pair of smaller Pokemon beds in each corner of the room. Like before, there was a small kitchen area and a few couches lined up against the wall facing a large Plasma screen TV on the opposite wall.

"Well, I guess that my Pokemon will take the smaller beds on the right hand side of the room while yours take the left hand side." Thomas stated releasing his Pokemon once again.

"Sounds good." Sarah replied releasing her own Pokemon. Once everyone was settled in, the group made there way down to the nearest dining hall for a bite to eat before calling it quits for the night.

On their way down to the dinning hall Rebecca was holding on tight onto Thomas's arm, tighter than usually. It also seemed that any time that Sarah tried to get close to him she would actually start to growl at her. Which made Thomas have to tell her to calm down more than once.

As they made there way down to the dinner hall both Thomas and Sarah reiterated to their Pokemon that they were to be on their best behavior. Other wise they would ride in their Pokeballs the rest of the trip. Of course this got the entire group to nod in agreement. Of course like little kids as soon as they were allowed to go to the buffet to get their food they took off in a flash trying to be the first in line.

Thomas sighs as Sarah giggled. Of the entire group of their Pokemon only Radara, Juno, and Sarah's Dragonair took their time. As Thomas made his way with Sarah to the human buffet area Rebecca still refuse to leave his side. He had to get Radara to get her to go to the Pokemon buffet area.

'_Rebecca, what has gotten into you as of late? I've never seen you act like this before. You know you can't just going around randomly growling at people.'_ She scolds Rebecca.

Rebecca simply looks towards to where Tomas is with Sarah _'She had better not mess with my mate!' _

This surprises Radara, as she has never seen Rebecca act like this. That's when she catches a scent that she is all too familiar with. Something that she should have seen coming after Rebecca had chosen Thomas as her mate. _'Rebecca, are you going into heat?'_


	6. Chapter 6

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

_'Character Thought'  
_(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 6

Radara knew that is was trouble for Rebecca to go into heat now mostly due to the point since most Pokemon were allowed to roam about the ship. She knew it was a matter of time until one of the male Pokemon would try and mate with Rebecca.

She needed help but at the same time, she did not want to tell Thomas since he already had enough on his plate trying to keep Sarah from taking things to the next level with their so call relationship. She could never understand that girl. Most girls would get the hint that Thomas didn't care for them within a few weeks at the latest with the cold shoulder he usually gives them and the occasional subtle hints, but somehow, Sarah had missed them all.

Radara looks at Rebecca, as she seems to be trying to control it, but her seeing Sarah all over Thomas wasn't helping Rebecca keep her head in check. From her experience from these matters she knows females do try to keep their heads. Usually, though they had a partner already who they mated with which of course helped them greatly.

A major problem though in the current day and age however was the fact that most trainers were constantly traveling. This made it harder for female Pokemon to find mates unless they find one among their trainers Pokemon or some one close to said trainer. Though most trainers just take their Pokemon now to the daycare center for a quick solution for their problems.

She shakes her head thinking that Thomas would never do that to Rebecca. Nor would she let him do that to her. She knew that she would hurt Thomas herself if he ever mistreated Rebecca. For the first time in a while Radara feels like a mother once more, over how protective she has become over Rebecca.

She knows how much Rebecca means to Thomas but also how much she means to her.

'_Look we have to get you somewhere safe for now. I can only do so much to keep you from getting taken by the males around here without risking getting myself trapped in that Pokeball for the remainder of the trip.' _Radara stated to Rebecca '_Juno I need your help with this. Take Rebecca back to the new room that we have.'_

'_Sure sounds like fun keeping all these horny males from her.'_ Juno nods her head towards a group of males who seem to be staring downing Rebecca.

A Machoke and a Persian were the first of the group males wanting there try Rebecca. Radara walks in front of them as Juno tries to get Rebecca from trying to go back to Thomas.

(So, which one of us goes first?) The Machoke asked the Persian as they began their approach.

(Well, I assumed that since your both stronger then I am physically and have hands, you would hold her down if she tries to resist.) The Persian replied as they walked up to Radara blocking there path while Juno was leading Rebecca back towards the room.

'_I am sorry boys but she will not be entraining any of you tonight despite what your hormones are telling you.' _She states coldly to them.

The Machoke laughs at this, (And who's going to stop me little Espeon. You? Ha don't make…) The Machoke slowly bends over grabbing his stomach, a deep look of pain on his face.

(What did you do?) The Persian demanded, his claws drawn ready for a fight.

'_Nothing serious as of yet, but I will not allow anyone to mate that Lucario unless she wishes it.'_ Radara replied as a trainer rushed up. The Persian quickly put his claws away to avoid getting locked up his Pokeball for the rest of the trip.

"Hey, Machoke? Something wrong there?" The trainer asked looking at his kneeling Pokemon. "I told you not to eat too much." The trainer sighed. "Let's go. I'm done anyway." With that, the trainer had his two Pokemon follow him out of the dining hall through a different exit.

--

With Juno's help, Radara was able to help move Rebecca back to the new room she had won for Thomas. Thanks to her powers, the locked door was not an issue and Radara let the three of them into the room before locking the door.

'_Let me go. I want to be with Thomas.'_ Rebecca expressed her disapproval of being led out of the dining hall once again.

(Trust me, you're better off here given your condition.) Juno stated.

'Rebecca, please calm down.' Radara replied as Rebecca made her way to the main bed in the room.

(So, what do we do from here?) Juno asked as Rebecca kept looking towards the door.

'_For now, we just keep her away from the rest of the Pokemon on the ship.'_ Radara replied. _'I would prefer to wait to tell Thomas, but as experience has taught, things rarely go as planned.'_

(That is true. In my 600 years of traveling with you, I have yet to see a plan work like it was meant to whenever it was something big.) Juno smiled wondering what would go wrong next.

'_I image that this time won't pass as quickly as the last time she was in heat though.'_ Radara looked at Rebecca who was shifting her legs a bit as if trying to find a comfortable position.

(I agree. Last time, she had a pretty clear head, but now that she and Thomas are now mates, I can see how that will complicate things.) Juno looked around the room finding the small fridge in the corner. (Rebecca, did you get something to eat yet?)

'_I want to be with Thomas.'_ Rebecca replied.

(I guess that answers that question.) Juno stated as Rebecca was still shifting around a bit.

'_I'm going to inform Thomas that we've returned to the room. I'll be back shortly.'_ Radara informed Juno as her body gave off a light glow before she teleported out of the room.

--

Radara appeared outside the room and began her trek back to the dining hall. Once there, she quickly found Thomas sitting at one of the larger table with Sarah taking a seat beside and Sarah's Pokemon seat along with Razor and Aqua all sitting around the table with them. She could already tell that Thomas was just a bit worried since three of his Pokemon were missing.

'_Thomas, Juno took Rebecca back to the room. Rebecca wasn't feeling to well.'_ Radara informed Thomas as she walked up to the table.

Thomas just looked at her a bit concerned. "What's up?"

'_It's nothing serious, just an upset stomach..'_ Radara replied.

"Hey Thomas, are you listening to me?" Sarah asked once again getting his attention.

"Sorry, Radara had to tell me something." Thomas said turning back to face her.

"Huh?" Sarah looked down at Radara.

"She said that Rebecca's not doing to well." Thomas quickly finished up the rest of his meal.

"Really? I hope she's okay." Sarah replied finishing up like Thomas.

--

Rebecca looked around while Juno curled up one of the smaller beds. Like always, she was going to take it easy and take the events as they came.

As for Rebecca, she just sat on the bed trying to dealing with the stirring between her legs. Looking over at Juno who had her eyes closed, Rebecca decided to try and find Thomas herself since it was obvious that Radara and Juno weren't going to help her. She got up slowly and made her way to the door. With her very quite approach, Juno failed to notice that Rebecca had left until she heard the soft click of the door closing. Her eyes opened up immediately looking for Rebecca only to see that she was gone.

(I really messed this one up.) Juno sighed looking toward the door realizing that without proper hands or the ability to open the door with her mind, she was now effectively locked in the room. (Radara is going to love this.)

Rebecca looked down the hall as she started making her way down the hall back towards the dining hall.

Thomas decided that he would head back to the room with his Pokemon to check on Rebecca. As Thomas walked out threw one door, Rebecca entered the room through another door. Still thinking mostly straight however, she walked in rather then rushed. She looked around for Thomas and after failing to find him, she looked for his scent. Thanks to her excellent nose, she was quickly able to find his scent and work to track him down.

--

Thomas had called back Razor and Aqua leaving Radara out while Sarah had called back all of her Pokemon as they made their way to the back to the room. As they walked back to the room, Radara had a look of concern upon her face. As Thomas opened the door, they were by Juno sitting on one of the smaller beds with an apologetic look upon her face.

'_Juno, where's Rebecca?'_ Radara asked quickly noticing a lack of the jackal type Pokemon in the room.

(She's quiet. I closed my eyes for a second and then she was gone.) Juno explained. (I think she went to go find Thomas.)

Radara transferred the words to Thomas's mind who just looked down and shook his head. "Why do I have the feeling that there's something you're not telling me." Thomas looked down at Radara.

'_Rebecca's in heat.'_ Radara stated knowing that there was no way to hide it at this point. _'We need to find her.'_

"And you didn't tell that sooner for what reason." Thomas stated.

"Tell you what?" Sarah asked.

"Rebecca's in heat. That's why she wasn't with us in the dining hall. Juno escorted her back here, but apparently, she gone off looking for me." Thomas explained.

"She's in heat. That's not good. We need to find her before she gets into trouble." Sarah stated.

"I'll start looking back towards the dining hall. Why don't you wait here and call me incase she shows back up." Thomas stated turning back towards the door.

--

Rebecca was using her own nose trying to find Thomas. Following his scent led her down one of the halls to an elevator. She hit the button and opened the doors only to lose his scent among the remains of man others. Looking up, Rebecca saw the reason for her loss of his smell and partially growled at the air conditioning unit that also worked as a fan. She exited the elevator and decided to use the staircase at the end of hallway. She moved down the stairs hoping to pick back up on scent on their floor.

As she moved down the staircases, she passed a few fellow Pokemon heading up and while most of them ignored her, one of them stopped for a second. The large Infernape looked down at her as she turned to head down the next flight of stairs. (You guys go ahead.)

The small group turned for a second. (Well don't keep our trainer waiting.) A small Gloom stated.

(You going after that Lucario we just passed?) A Geodude asked.

(She looked a bit lost. Maybe I can help.) The Infernape replied.

(Always the helpful one. Just don't be too long.) The Gloom said.

While the Gloom and the Geodude both started back up the stairs, the Infernape started back down after Rebecca.

As Rebecca came down to the floor that the room was on, she went to the door only to find it stuck a bit. (You need some help there?) A voice called out from behind her.

'_Can you please open this door. I need to get back to my trainer.'_ Rebecca asked.

(Are you okay there?) The Infernape asked as he came closer.

'_I really need to get back to my trainer.'_ Rebecca replied.

(I can see why. You afraid that someone with have their way with you because you're in heat.) The Infernape smiled as he went to the door. Making it look like he was trying to open the door, he formulated a plan. (I can't seem to open it, but don't worry, I've been on this ship a few times before. I know another way.)

'_Please, will you show me?'_ Rebecca pleaded.

(Sure. Follow me.) The Infernape headed down the next flight of stairs. Only wanting to get back to her trainer, Rebecca quickly decided to follow him. As Rebecca started to follow him, the Infernape smiled knowing that his plan was starting to work.

--

Thomas and Radara walked down the hall back towards the dining hall. "Now, if I were in her shoes, she would most likely head back to the last known place where I was before you and Juno escorted her off." Thomas reasoned.

'_I would agree.'_ Radara stated as they entered the elevator. _'Huh? Thomas wait.'_

"What's up?" Thomas asked.

'_I think I just sensed Rebecca. It felt like she was in the staircase.'_ Radara stated left the elevator.

"If that's the case, let's go." Thomas stated moving out of the elevator towards the end of the hall.

As they came up the door, Thomas went to open it only to find it stuck. "They really need to fix these things." Thomas sighed. "Can you open it?"

'_Just like you, I would need to know how the lock was built before I could undo it.'_ Radara stated. _'Wait, she's moving again, and it feels like she's following someone.'_ Radara looked up at Thomas with a worried look. _'I don't think this second mind she's following has good intentions. I can see it and it's not familiar, so I can't track it properly, but it's not exactly a warming mind.'_

"Then we have to move fast." Thomas stated. He quickly ran back to the elevator. "How many floors did she go down?"

'_It feels like just one.'_ Radara replied. _'If we hurry, we should be able to catch up to her.'_

--

As the Infernape lead Rebecca down the stairs, he quickly and secretly locked the door as they entered the hall. He knew full well that the hallway leading to the elevator was cut off for now due to some water damage caused by an unexpected fight between Pokemon on the previous voyage between Kanto and Hoenn.

As they left the stairwell, they looked over to see the hallway blocked off by signs. (Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this way was open.) The Infernape stated.

'_Let's head back up then.'_ Rebecca stated heading for the door only to find it locked.

(Are you serious?) The Infernape stated putting up a good show for Rebecca to try and earn her trust for what came next. (I guess that a door only opens from that side.)

'_I need to get back to my trainer, please tell if you know another way around.'_ Rebecca asked starting to get worried.

(Yea, there is a way around, but it's a bit long.) The Infernape replied pointing down the other side of the hall.

'_Can we please start moving then?'_ Rebecca stated.

(Sure, just follow me.) The Infernape smiled once again leading her down the hall and around a corner.

--

Thomas and Radara went down a single floor on the elevator only to reach the same problem that Rebecca had been led to. As the door opened and Thomas and Radara got out, they came up to the section of the hall that was still under repairs. _'Thomas it would most likely be best for us to hurry. I sense that she just turned down that hallway.'_ Radara stated. Thomas quickly got the idea.

"I'm not sure if I can teleport again. I'm not even sure how I did the first time. It just happened." Thomas countered knowing that it required a high mastery of his mind for him to teleport as well as a massive amount of energy, much more then a psychic Pokemon would need even for him to perform the skill.

'_Doubt only clouds the mind. If you don't think you can do it at this point, let's not test it unless we have to until you receive the last of your abilities then.'_ Radara stated feeling the doubt in Thomas's mind.

"As much as I want to catch up to her right now, I don't want to push my abilities before they normally awaken." Thomas stated.

'_Let's get going then.'_ Radara turns down the hallway away from the damaged hallway towards a side hall.

--

The Infernape walked down the hall constantly talking trying to earn her trust hoping to get an easy mate for now at least. Rebecca however was growing more worried the further away from Thomas she felt that she got. She was now constantly using her aura view to try and find Thomas, but with her mind so worried and fact that her heat was messing with her head, she couldn't concentrate enough to really find him.

As the Infernape continued to move on, he was counting her lack of thinking thanks to her heat to play a role in his plan. After walking around for a while talking the whole time, the Infernape finally to bring his plan into action. (Say, are you okay? You really look out of it.) The Infernape stated.

'_I'll be fine as long as find my trainer.'_ Rebecca replied.

(You're really scared aren't you?) The Infernape led them around another turn another hallway that was entirely empty.

Rebecca remained silent at this remark. (Come on, I'll protect you.) The Infernape smiled. Just as the passed a room, the door opened up to reveal an Ivysuar.

(What's that… oh, this must be my lucky day?) The Ivysuar smiled. (Why don't you just come with me?) Rebecca just backed up away from the Ivysuar. (Come on don't be like that.) The Ivysuar stated.

(Hey pal, back off.) The Infernape stated.

The Ivysuar acted quickly before the Infernape could react. Several vines flew from the bulb on the Ivysuar's back and wrapped around the Infernape's arms, legs, body, but most importantly his mouth keeping him from using any of his attacks.

Rebecca backed up even more as the Ivysuar threw the Infernape hard into a wall knocking him out. (Who said you could leave huh?) The Ivysuar slowly moving in on Rebecca as she continued to move back while more vines came from the bulb on the Ivysuar's back.

--

Thomas and Radara continued walking around the floor. _'We need to hurry. Something is happening.'_ Radara explained. Thomas broke into a run upon hearing Radara's words. As they rushed to Rebecca's location they hoped. As they ran Thomas hoped nothing bad had happen to Rebecca.

--

Rebecca struggled with the Ivysuar's Vine whip. (Oh come on babe I can smell your sweet nectar from here. You're begging for a real male here. You don't want banana boy there to take you, you'll want a real male to take you.) As the Ivysuar used his vines to hold her down so he could have his way with her. She tried to fight harder but her body was slowly giving up as if it wanted him to take her, to relieve this feeling stirring between her legs. All she could think of was Thomas where was he she needed him to be here. To protect her he promised her that. He would always protect her.

As she was about to scream a vine snaked around her muzzle as he pulled her into the room to have his way with her. (Now I can't have you go and ruin my fun now. So keep quite and just enjoy this. I won't be too rough. )

--

Thomas continued running down the hall when he heard Rebecca screaming his name and knew that she was close. He looked down at Radara who had heard the scream as well as they rounded the corner only to find an unconscious Infernape lying against the wall. _'She's in there.'_ Radara quickly informed Thomas.

Rather then try to open the door gently, Thomas slammed his shoulder into the door barging his way.

(Who the hell do you think you are? I'm busy over here!) The Ivysuar shouted. Thomas's eyes however were set on a single vine retracting from Rebecca's nether regions with a bloody tip.

Just like with Eric merely a week before, Thomas's rage once again boiled within him. To insult Rebecca was bad enough, but this had gone too far. Thomas threw both hands out to his sides only to throw them forward sending a massive psychic attack at the Ivysuar. A small collection of psychic energy gathered around each of the vines around Rebecca cutting cleanly through them in a matter of seconds releasing her from his grip, but she still remained tied up by what remained of the vines.

The Ivysuar cried out in pain quickly withdrawing all of his vines. Thomas know switched from the offensive to the defensive to catch Rebecca as she fell. Seeing that Thomas and Radara were both focused on Rebecca, he ran out fast. He knew that he was out matched here and after the wounds he had just suffered; he knew that they weren't going to hold anything back.

Thomas quickly drew Rebecca to his side with him mind and set about the next task of untying her. With the vines now off of her, she grabbed onto Thomas thankful that he had arrived when he did. Her mind was filled with terror; Thomas began to search for the source of the fear with the intentions of eliminating it. Failing to see the Ivysuar, Thomas went to go move following his anger, but Rebecca gripped him even stronger then before refusing to let him leave her side. His anger quickly subsided to the need to protect and comfort Rebecca. He picked her up gently and began walking out of the room as Juno walked up on them followed by Sarah.

"Thomas? What happened?" Sarah demanded. Thomas remained quite though as he passed Sarah and started back for his room. Radara explained the whole situation to Juno while she sent a single image to Sarah revealing that Rebecca had been tied up by the Ivysuar, but nothing more then that. On her way out however, she used her mind to grab Rebecca's shorts and set them down on her back to carry them.

"Is she okay?" Sarah rushed over to Thomas and Rebecca. Rebecca was still greatly scared by the event and held tightly to her mate. Sarah could clearly see the tears from her eyes rolling down her face as well as the fear in her eyes. Thomas and Rebecca quickly returned back to the room followed by everyone else who had left. As they entered the room, all of Sarah's Pokemon looked on as did Razor and Rebecca. A quick message from Radara informed them all what had happened and they moved in a bit closer trying to comfort her, but seeing just how scared she was made her caused them to back off just a bit, but still keep their worried eyes upon her.

Thomas took a seat on the bed and Rebecca used one arm to grab a blanket to cover them up while she kept her other arm firmly around Thomas's back refusing to part with him.

"Some Pokemon really disgust me." Thomas stated. "I will never let that happen again."

"Is she going to be okay?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know. Could you please just leave us alone for a bit while I try to calm her down?" Thomas asked. Sarah knew that it would most likely be best right now if she left them be. She knew that Thomas and Rebecca were very good friends, almost like siblings in her mind and that he would be the best chance of helping her right now after what had happened. As she left, a new ring of memories entered Thomas's mind

This was not the first time Thomas had been forced to witness such a devastating attack. Many incarnations ago, a similar string of events had happened to the last real love he had had before casting it off and then finding Rebecca. He had led a good back in that life so long ago, but someone still saw him as a demon. A whole group of men had stormed his house that time when he went out to arrange passage on a boat to the next continent. He had come home to find his home ransacked, his Pokemon other then Radara who had severed severe wounds all dead, but worst of all his wife to be had been raped and murdered in a most brutal fashion. That was his real reason for casting off, to avoid the pain that he knew he had ended up causing her.

Now once again, he was at fault. Was it really worth the pain to go through with it at this point and actually become Rebecca's mate? He shook his head knowing that life was never fair to begin with, but at this point, there was no turning back. She had chosen him as her mate, as he had chosen her. Although he never could have predicted this would happen so soon, he knew there was nothing he could do. He looked down at Rebecca who had fallen into an uneasy sleep. Peering into her mind, he say her partially reliving the events of what had transpired and using his abilities, pushed those thoughts out of her head for now. The last thing she needed was to relive something like that. With those thoughts now gone for now, she seemed to relax a bit, but still held onto Thomas. Thomas scooted back resting against the headboard as he realized just energy he had used. He had once again used abilities ahead of the proper time of awakening and his body was tired. Despite trying to stay awake to keep an eye on Rebecca's mind to insure that those thoughts did not come, Thomas soon found himself in an uneasy rest with Rebecca still in his arms.

--

Rebecca dreams were a repeat of what had happen to her last night except that Thomas never arrived. She cried for him but he never came. She cried as she was brutally taken by the Ivysuar. Nothing was working as her abilities refuse to work, but what truly made it worse was that her body was enjoying it. She screamed once more as for Thomas as she woke up.

Looking around terrified, she didn't know where she was. She felt something shifting against her body and terror once again flooded her mind; she simply lashed out with a Force Palm. With the fear still clear in her mind, she struck without looking striking Thomas hard mistaking him for the Ivysuar.

This woke every one up in the room as Thomas crashed into the dresser of the room. Rebecca was in full attack mode now still thinking she was being attacked; she started to charge up an aura sphere ready to defend herself against any other attacks.

Radara looked on unable to believe what had just happened and to make things worse, it looked like Rebecca was getting to finish the fight. Radara tried to reach Thomas through their shared link but he was out cold, unable to respond. Radara looks to Rebecca's seeing only fear and does the only thing she can to stop Rebecca. The gem atop her head shined brightly as she dominated Rebecca's mind.

Feeling her body fall under another's control only added to the fear that Rebecca was already feeling. In a last chance attempt to break free as her body was being to kneel down. Rebecca launched her partially charged aura sphere. Juno moved in with a very small, but focused fire ball attack which dissipated the aura sphere with causing it to explode. (Looks like I made it in time. I don't want two mistakes less than a day apart to happen when I'm around. But what's going on here?)

As soon as Rebecca had heard Juno's voice she looked around finding that she still had control of her head and saw that she was safe. Looking over the crashed the dresser, Rebecca makes out Thomas's limp form with Juno standing over him. But where was the Ivysuar? Radara let go of Rebecca as she walked over to Thomas. _'What's going on? What happen to Thomas?' _Rebecca looks around for her attacker.

Radara sighs, as she knows what telling her truth would do to her. _'Dear I need you to say over there as Juno and I look over Thomas to make sure he is ok.'_ Rebecca started to shake with fear on what just happen. She knew the Ivysuar was there it just had to be. But it that was true, then why was Thomas on the floor like that? She started to realize what she did. She began to tremble with fear and realization that she attacked her mate.

Sarah was already up, startled by the sound of Thomas crashing in the dresser. Her Pokemon were also up and had moved to protect their trainer. Looking around now fully aware of her surroundings, she sees Thomas being looked after by his Pokemon Juno and Radara. From what she could tell, he had been attacked. The side Thomas was sleeping on was a mess While it seems that Aqua and Razor both tried to comfort her , and keep her clam. From what Sarah could tell wasn't going well as it seemed that Rebecca seemed to be a mess crying into her paws. She got up to see if Thomas was ok. Radara looked at her and shook her head as to tell her not to come over.

Ignoring Radara once more moving towards Thomas to see if he was ok. She heard a voice in her head something she didn't expect to hear. '_I am sorry dear but you must go back to your side of the room Juno and I can take care of this. This is a family matter. We have to deal with. If we need your help we'll call for it. So please let us handle this ok' _Sarah went back to her side of the room. Radara spoke to her with her mind.

She had heard of psychic Pokemon being able to communicate with there trainers if they them selves were psychic's, but to have that much power to be able to do that on her own. Then as she continued to look on, she realized that Radara was trained by his father the same as Juno meaning that not only had they been well trained, but they were also veterans when it came battling. This left her partially wondering just how powerful they really were, something that she knew Thomas would never tell her. This led to another question though as her continued upon the path it had taken. Now looking down at Radara and Juno, she realized that Thomas had rarely ever used the two of them in battle. With such a powerful pair on his team like the two of them, why did Thomas always hold back in battle? Then it hit her. Thomas hated being the center of attention. That was most likely the reason why he always traveled alone.

The sound of Thomas coming to brought her back the problem at hand. "Okay, who threw the car me?" Thomas stated recalling the last time he had been successfully knocked out in a single blow. Rebecca started to get up and move towards him. Then she realized she was the one who attacked him, she did this no one else. Thomas tried to get up slowly and looked towards Rebecca. As the came back to his senses, he saw Rebecca moving towards him. "Are you okay?" This actually hurt Rebecca even more that he knew that she attacked him and caused this pain to him. Still he was more concerned with her well being than his own. With that she pushed both Razor and Aqua out of the way and ran out of the room.

"Rebecca wait!" As soon as he got up he fell over in pain clutching where he was hit by Rebecca. "Damn. She's a lot stronger then she thinks she is." He mumbled. "Razor and Aqua go after Rebecca make sure she don't do nothing to hurt herself. Juno and Radara help him into bed."

'_Are you sure it's ok to let Aqua and Razor go after Rebecca.' _Radara asks.

"Well I am going to need you and Juno here to distract Sarah. So she doesn't get any more suspicious. Because I am going to be healing fast and I need her not to be near when I do." Thomas replies.

Sarah walked over to Thomas putting her robe on over her nightdress. "Are you ok Thomas? What happen between you and Rebecca for her to attack you like this?" She tried to get close but both Juno and Radara both blocked her path, and refuse to let her by. "Look you two I just want to make sure he is ok." Both shook their heads and still refuse to let her pass. She also knew that is she pressed the matter Juno and Radara both might attack her even though she was Thomas's friend. Pokemon have been known to be extremely protective of their masters when they were injured or hurt. She knew she didn't want to have this break out into an all out war.

"Sarah I told what happen to Rebecca already when that other Pokemon had forced himself on her. I think it has left a mental scar on her. I want you to go to her and make sure she is ok and tell her its not her fault, but I don't think she will listen to me now. After what has happen a little while ago I don't think she'll be able to look at me." Thomas pauses for a second and looks like he's trying to think about something. "I usually would ask Radara or Juno but I think she needs someone else to tell her not someone close to her. To tell her it's ok that I am alright. Could you do this for me Sarah?"

This was the first time Thomas had ever asked her to do something for him. He never asked her for nothing over the years she had known him. Could this mean he was opening up to her? No small steps, don't act over excited she told herself. If she rushed this she could blow any chance she has with him. Act clam and cool that's right. "Ok Thomas I'll do it. Because were friends , and that's what friends do right? Don't worry I'll get her back ok." She looks towards her Pokemon "Behave while I am gone, and don't give Thomas any trouble." They all nod as she leaves the room.

As she starts to walk down the hallway of the ship she realizes she has no idea where to look. She was about to head back to the room, when a small light appears before her acting as a beacon for her to follow. She realizes it's Juno's will-o-wisp. She questioned how Juno knew where Rebecca was before coming to the conclusion that Radara must have told her where to look. As she followed the dancing light she Aqua and Razor sitting in the shadows watching Rebecca near the bow of the boat near the railing. She was curled up in a ball crying. Razor look up at Sarah and try to stop her from getting closer to her.

"It's ok Thomas asked me to talk to her. Please let me past." She look at Razor with pleading eyes. He tilted his head and nodded his head and simply said "Zan". As she walked past him she actually almost broke down and cried also by seeing Rebecca like this. She has known her to always to be happy and cheerful but here she was broken. She must really devastated by attacking Thomas as she had did. She had never seen any Pokemon like this before expect if there mate had died. "Rebecca it's me Sarah. Thomas asked me to come get you. He's worried about you as we all are."

'_Lair all you care about is Thomas!'_ Rebecca shouted with her mind at Sarah. She was taken aback by this never had she felt such anger before. Lucario's are known to bond form close bonds with their trainer's to the point where their actually like a brother or sister to the trainer. She knew then how much Rebecca felt over what had happen. Sarah had to think this through because she knew Rebecca could read her like a book because of her aura. Lying would get her no where. She had to get Rebecca to trust her to have her come back with her to Thomas.

"Rebecca I know you don't like me because how you see me as taking Thomas away from you." This got a growl from Rebecca. Sarah realizes that she was onto something. If she could get Rebecca to think beyond her depression, she could get her to come back. "Thomas is worried sick about you. Do you realize how much pain you have out him in. Not physically but mentally. You have him worried sick about you. Do you want to hurt him like that? I know you still are …. I don't know what you went through earlier. Nor do I pretend to say I feel your pain. But Thomas is more than your trainer he is your friend. Do you want him to think that he doesn't care about you." Rebecca sits on her knees and dries her eyes with her paws.

She looks at the girl who is a rival for the one she loves. No not a rival, Thomas has already said he was her mate. She looks towards the ocean as she realizes that despite it all she was afraid of that he would still love her even after what happened to her. Being violated as she was by the Ivysuar, it really hit her hard. Not only did feel in a way, dirty about the events, but she mostly felt weak. This lead to fear that she would lose him. _'Sarah I know you like Thomas I can see that when you are near him. I see how you fawn over him. How you want to have him as your own.' _She stops there knowing Thomas had told her not to tell anyone about there relationship, because it would only cause trouble. '_You can't have him. You just can't.' _Sarah heard Rebecca's last comment, little more then a quite whisper in her head.

Sarah looks at her with sad eyes thinking that Rebecca sees her as a rival for his affections. "I won't steal him from you. I know I don't sound like it but I don't want to replace you in his heart. I know you both have a deep bond. I don't want to upset that. I will stop my advances towards him for now. Because I know how much you care for him. So please Rebecca come back with me to the cabin. He really dose miss you." She holds her hand out. Rebecca takes it as Sarah helps her up to stand.

They head back to the room followed by a tired Razor and Aqua. Razor finally speaks breaking the silence in a tired voice. (Finally I can get some sleep.)

He is quickly smacked by Aqua. (Hush now she has been through a lot you cold hearted fur ball.) Razor looks down at the words of his mate. They head back to the cabin as they do Sarah opens the door slowly and looks into see if Thomas is still awake. Thomas looks a little anxious. As he looks to see if Rebecca is with her. Sarah opens the door as Rebecca seems to be moving away from it. She drags her back "Oh no you don't. You're not getting away, after all I did to get you here you're not going to chicken out now." She shoves Rebecca back into the room.

She looks at the floor still unable to look at Thomas. Shuffling her feet a bit _'I am sorry Thomas I didn't mean to…'_

Thomas interrupts her before she has a chance to finish. "Rebecca are you ok? I am not worried by this little bruise. You're what matters to me right now. So please just forget about what happen for now ok."

She nods her head. _'I think though I need some space for now I think I will sleep with Juno and Radara if that's ok with them.'_ Thomas showed no emotion at this request. Even his Aura was blank to Rebecca.

"I understand Rebecca. You need time to recover from what has happen to you." Radara tried to read him but there was a wall there blocking her attempts to read him. "Let's call it a night ok we all have had a rough day especially you." Thomas watched as Juno and Radara curled up around Rebecca. He could hear as Radara seem to be singing her a wordless lullaby. Sarah had to calm down her Pokemon as they were all drifting off to sleep. Aqua and Razor were already out sleeping next to each other. Every one drifted off to sleep expect Thomas who looked out one oh the windows of the room. He sighed as the tears and emotions he held back came out. He never felt so alone as he did right then, but as soon as the emotions came he buried them knowing he would only hurt Rebecca more. He had to be strong for her. He had to be there for her. He slowly drifted off to a fitful sleep.

--

It had taken Rebecca a day, but she was once again holding on to Thomas. Although they didn't say much to each other for the remainder of the trip, they seemed to have set things right for the most part. With the weather outside was filled with dark clouds and moderate rain for the remainder of the voyage, which suited Thomas just fine. It gave him little reason to really explore the ship and spend more time with Rebecca.

At last, the trip was over, Thomas had gathered up this belongings, the same as Sarah. The loud speaker sounded signaling the end of the trip. "This is your captain speaking We have arrived to our destination. We hope you had a pleasant cruise and hope you travel with us once more. Good day and we hope you enjoy the Kanto region." They disembarked from the ship and hope that most of the excitement from the ship was over.


	7. Chapter 7

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 7

The trip ended late in the afternoon as the ship docked in Vermilion City. Deciding that since it was already so late in the day, Sarah thought that they should spend the night in local Pokemon center.

Thomas quickly agreed deciding that Rebecca would probably do best with a full check up to see how bad the damage was on her body. Although Rebecca didn't take too well to having a checkup at first, she did agree to it as long as Thomas was with her. Given what had happened though, everyone was thankful to hear that the damage could have been much greater and aside from losing her virginity in such a rough way and the damage on her mind, her body was still in very good condition.

After spending a night at the Pokemon Center, the group was once again ready to leave. Rebecca seemed rather eager to leave the port city of Vermilion herself, but still clung to Thomas's side.

Not to long after having Rebecca looked at, Sarah a received a phone call from one of her many friends. After a long talk on the phone during which time, Thomas had decided to go grab a bite to eat, Sarah informed Thomas about what the call was about.

"Hey Thomas, that was a good friend of mine in Pewter City. Apparently, there is this big party of some sort taking place by Mount Moon in a few days." Sarah exclaimed.

Thomas looked up a bit confused. He had just been called with the intention of heading to Mount Moon. Was there a connection between this party and why he was being called? Even if there wasn't a real connection, the fact that there were going to be so many trainers knowing very well who some of Sarah's friends were and the fact that he was being called could spell serious trouble.

"They were wondering where I was at wanting to know if I could make it. What do you say we take a bus up to Pewter City? We're already headed to Mount Moon anyway; why not try to make it this party then?" Sarah stated.

"Why not?" Thomas shrugged his shoulders making it look like he just didn't care. Sarah knew that he may not have been big on parties, but seeing that Thomas didn't object and actually accepted the idea was another good sign for her. Of course, Radara knew that there was more to it then just accepting the idea and her own thoughts were similar to Thomas's in thinking that the party may somehow play a part in their being needed.

--

It wasn't long before the group was on a bus over to Pewter City where they could then make their way up to Mount Moon. Once again Sarah tried to make conversation with Thomas which of course meant the only response she got were grunts nods or a simply yes, no, or I guess response from him. This didn't make the bus ride to Mount Moon more enjoyable for Sarah. Rebecca was asleep still holding onto Tomas arm. Radara was also asleep on Tomas's lap. Thomas was gently stroking her fur. As he watched the cars past the bus in both directions and seeing the some Pigey and Pidgeotto fly by. He thinks about the last few days on the boat, but is brought back from his distant thoughts as Sarah keeps calling his name.

"Jeez do you have to space out like that every time I talk to you Thomas." As she sits up in her seat in front of Thomas then flicks his forehead. Thomas simply sits there looking at her.

"If you have something new to add then I will say something." She makes a pouting face at him then sits facing back towards the front of the bus as others around them are commenting about a 'lovers spat'.

He sighs at this as Radara vice once more fills his head. _'You should be nicer to her since she will be with us for a bit longer. She did get Rebecca back that night remember.' _ He doesn't say anything as he looks at Rebecca as she still holds him tightly even though she is asleep. He smiles as he sees her sleeping there.

He remembers back when he first took her in after her parents died. She was scared of him at first. Come to think about even after he tried to save her mother, she was sort of distant. Radara had to make her feel more welcome when Nurse Joy had asked him to take care of her. He wasn't planning on adding anyone to his team so early into his adventure, but given what had happened, he couldn't leave her there. He didn't want to force her to do anything; his first thought was to leave her with his foster parents. After a while she seemed to escape from her Pokeball and he would wake up the next day with her sleeping next to him or in his sleeping bag. He had made her aware of the possibility of staying with his foster parents, but she either just ignored it or didn't care.

At first he thought Rebecca was a more of Ninja then a Pokemon because it seemed that she would just appear out of no where half the time. Radara would enjoy this because no matter how much they tried to keep Rebecca under control, she would always try to do as she wanted. She was a like child in a sense, always trying to do things her own way. That was until one summer when she wanted to go exploring with out telling Thomas or Radara. She ran into a pack of wild Pokemon who saw her as lunch. She took off as fast as she could. Lucky for her Thomas and Radara were looking for her. Just in time Radara made short work of the wild Pokemon. Rebecca held onto Thomas for dear life, scared out her fur thinking how close she was to being eaten. Thomas tried to clam her down as she broke down and cried after that. Since then she would rarely leave his side out fear. Rebecca would later get stronger under Thomas's care and eventually evolved into a Lucario.

Thomas notices the bus slowing down as they arrived at their location. "Finally we're here!" Sarah smiled.

Thomas wakes Rebecca with a soft nudge. "Come on sleepy head we're here. You too Radara, I am not going to carry you."

Thomas hears Radara reply, slightly annoyed by his previous comment. '_Why not?'_ She jumps down from Thomas's lap as she waits for Thomas and Rebecca to follow. They make there way out of the bus as Sarah waits for them outside waving them over.

"We're in luck my parents paid for our room." She notices Thomas was about to say to something. "Don't worry my parents are old fashion, we have separate rooms. Sometimes I wonder about you if you really like me Thomas."

His response quickly forms in his head, easily picked up by Radara. _'Clam down she is only trying to be nice Thomas.' _

"I just like my privacy is all. Sarah you know that after all these years. Come on lets get our room keys. You said there is some festival you were invited to?" She smiles at him taking his other arm and pulling him and Rebecca who is attached to his other arm along.

"Yep it's to celebrate the Full Blue moon. It happens only every 10 years. Also it last for 5 days, they say it's so romantic." As she holds close to Thomas. Rebecca starts to growl a bit seeing how close Sarah is being to Thomas. Thomas looks at with a pleading look that's trying to clam her down. Sarah notices this "Sorry Rebecca I know I said I would go slow." She pulls away a bit from Thomas as they continue to walk toward the Lodge.

Thomas notices the Lodge is a band new addition to the area since he was here during his last incarnation. The lodge itself looks fairly large, as it seems to have 3 floors to it. As they enter he notices that it has a nice laid back feel to it all He notices in the main lobby larger than most places he has been to. It has a few mini shops selling basic needs to trainers and souvenirs. There is even a small Pokemon Center set up on the side, meant to deal with basic injuries and general health rather then the full service centers found in the cities and towns.

As he looks around, Thomas sees many trainers Pokemon and others who seem to be here for the festival.

'_With all these trainers, it's no wonder I was called out here. She may be strong, but she has yet to truly recover from the War of Legend.'_ Thomas looks down at Radara.

'_None of them appear to have any sense of knowing about her presence. If anything happens, I think it will happen by accident. Most of these trainers here don't appear to be experts. They appear to be beginners with the exception of that group over there.'_ Radara uses her tail to point towards the back end of the lobby towards a group of about 8 trainers, all looking to be in their late teens. Sarah was already making her way over there no doubt looking for her friend.

'_Well, something is going to happen. Either way, we've been called upon. All we can do now is wait to see why.'_ Thomas informs Radara.

'_True.'_ Radara replies as Sarah waves for Thomas to come over. Going along with it, Thomas makes his way over to meet a few of Sarah's friends.

Along side Sarah stood three other trainers all enjoying meeting back up with each other once again. "Thomas, these are some my friends I've made since we last met." Sarah pointed to a girl her own age, but just a bit shorter. Her blue sweat pants and t-shirt matched her blue hair.

"Hey, I'm Joan, master breeder. My dad owns the ranch to south of the city." Joan stated offering her hand to Thomas who shook it gently.

The next to offer there was a boy, who stood up taller then most of the group. Between his wild red hair and rough choice of clothing consisting of torn jeans and a stained T-shirt told Thomas that he been traveling for quite a while. "The name's Eric. I mostly just do a lot traveling."

Finally, the last member of the group to speak up was another girl, this one appearing to be in her mid teens. Like "I'm Alexia, Joan's sister." The girl stated adjusting her pack. Like Joan herself, she was also dressed up in blue, but had blond hair unlike her sister.

"I'm Thomas, this is Radara." Thomas nodded his head down to Radara. "And this is Rebecca." Thomas nodded his head towards where Rebecca was standing still holding his arm.

"Wow, an Espeon and a Lucario. Both rare finds here in Kanto." Joan stated.

"Listen, it's starting to get late, I think I'm going to head to my room for the night. I'd like to get an early start up to Mount Moon in the morning." Thomas stated.

"Sounds like a good idea. We can all head up their in the morning. The festival won't start for another four days, and it will take two days to get up there. That will leave plenty of time for us to set up our camp before the majority of the others start showing up." Eric stated.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys in the morning then." Alexia stated.

"It's settled then. We'll leave in the morning." Sarah smiled glad to be traveling with a number of her best friends once again.

--

Thomas headed to his room pleased to find two large beds waiting for him. The room had its own small bathroom as well, but being a small lodge as it was, there wasn't much else. Then again, the place usually just tailored to trainers who were looking for a place to spend the night other then outside under the stars. Thomas released the rest of his Pokemon who stretched out a bit before climbing onto the second bed leaving Thomas, Radara, and Rebecca the first one. "So, with all those trainers, how bad do think this can get. It will only take just one to spread the word about her to catch everyone's interest." Thomas stated.

'_What's going on?'_ Thomas heard Juno's voice in his knowing that Radara was translating for him. Looking over he saw her watching their conversation.

"We've been called upon, that much you know. What I've just found out is that there is a festival at Mount Moon and there is large crowd of trainers who are all planning on attending this event." Thomas explained.

'_I see. With any luck, the events will keep most of them busy while we deal with whatever is threatening Arceus.'_ Juno stated.

'_I didn't sense that any of them knew of her presence. If any of them did, then they plainly did not care and that in itself is highly unlikely.'_ Radara added. _'I'm thinking that this festival is either just a coincidence or someone is planning on using it as cover. Don't forget that this appears to be a common event around these parts and there are other towns where more trainers have no doubt collected waiting to attend.'_

"This is true. For all we know, there could be a hundreds attending this festival. As large as the summit of Mount Moon is, I would have to guess that it could easily hold a few hundred people." Thomas stated. Looking over, Thomas could see Razor and Aqua curling up with each other getting ready to bed themselves.

'_It wouldn't surprise me if this celebration was just a cover. Any group could send a few people in to explore the caves at a time like. With this party going on though, I don't many would be in the caves anyway. Most would no don't avoid the mountain all together would they would join in the celebration. As long as the word doesn't get out that Arceus is there, then things shouldn't get out of hand.'_ Juno added.

"I'm hoping that whoever knows about her will do their best to keep it secret. Surely they would hate it as much as I would if a mass of trainers all rushed down to try and capture her." Thomas added.

'_Let's get some sleep now. We'll find out what we are dealing with when we get there.'_ Radara stated. With that final comment, everyone agreed that it was time to get some sleep. Without any real information at this point, there was much more to be said.

xXx

Just like the group had planned, everyone was up early as the sun started rising. With their gear gathered, everyone was ready and after a quick breakfast, the group of now five humans and their Pokemon set off on their trip up to Mount Moon. Aside from Radara and Rebecca who was still holding onto to Thomas, just not as tight as before, Alexia and Eric had also let out one of their Pokemon as well. For Alexia, it was her starter, a Wartortle who walked next to the group while Eric had let out his Noctowl who took a place on his shoulder. Together, the group made good time traveling towards Mount Moon. With his mind now focused on the mountain ahead and reason he was going there in the first place, Thomas remained quiet for the most part, only adding minor comments here there letting Sarah catch up with her friends.

As they walked Radara keep constant contact with Thomas on weather they would hear anything from Arceus during this time. _'Look Thomas I'll tell you if I hear anything you don't want these people to think you don't care.'_

Thomas sighs. _'That's just it I don't care. I just want to see what Arceus needs and that she is alright.'_

Radara scowls at him '_You know full well if one these children see Arceus they will try and capture her or even worse "they" will know.' _Thomas knew full well who 'they' were, the ones who served the darkness who was in conflict with Arceus.

'_You sure you don't mean the other group to Radara. The ones who think we serve Darkrai. I am so sick of running into the religious fanatics who think they serve Arceus.' _Thomas asked as they continued to walk. _'It's hard to believe that religious group is the sole reason for my being the last of the watchers. Yea, one of us betrayed the others, and the rest of us dealt with her, but to have that group start putting bounties on our heads for her mistake.'_

"Dude are you ok." Eric walked over towards them. Thomas is partially surprised for letting himself relax so much that he failed to notice his visitor before he was right there next to him. "Your Lucario seems to be attached to you." Nodding to where Rebecca has her vice grip on Thomas's arm. "I have heard that Lucarios are protective of those they bound with. In a sense they became something like a brother or in this case sister to the one they bond with. So what's her name?"

"Her name is Rebecca. I have raised her ever since her parents died when she was a little Riolu. So she has been a constant traveling companion as has Radara." Thomas informs Eric as Radara gives a simple nod.

Eric smiles at Radara then looks back to Thomas with a serious face. "What is your relationship with Sarah?" The question puzzles Thomas and he stops giving Eric an odd stare because he didn't expect the question. "Look I hear how she talks about you. How calm and cool you are. Also that your a great pokemon battler and trainer. That's all she talked about was you. Are you her lover or something because she's mine I tell you mine!" Rebecca looks back and forth between them confused by this while Radara falls over laughing over the sudden topic at hand.

"Look what ever you think is going on between me and Sarah it's not happening, were just friends nothing more. I have known her and her family for most of my life." With that statement Rebecca nods her head to justify that, but Radara sends a thought of her own to Thomas.

'_Oh but Thomas she is so close to you know. Just tell the world of your true love.'_ With that, Radara starts laughing even harder.

As the thoughts start to form in his head Radara simply says '_Don't form those thoughts I already know what they are and I don't want to hear them.'_

Thomas continued to talk with Eric doing his best to convince him that he was just friends with Sarah, nothing more. By the end of the first day of traveling, Sarah had gotten reacquainted with her friends rather well, having learned what all everyone had been doing since their last meeting. With all of them on the same page now, Sarah had asked Thomas to join them. Checking his PokeNav to see how far they had traveled, Thomas was pleased to see that it would only take another half day of traveling to reach Mount Moon. Once that fact had been noted, he then suggested that the group start setting up camp. With the sky starting to grow dark, there was little argument from anyone and the lot of them walked a short distance off the main path to small clearing to set up the camp.

"So Thomas, you've been quiet the whole trip out here." Alexia stated as the group settled around a small campfire they had built up.

"I don't have much to say actually." Thomas explained. "I've always been the quiet one."

"If you're the quiet one, then why head out to a celebration like this?" Joan asked.

"This blue moon idea sort of caught my attention. I guess it's just something that I'd like to see once." Thomas informed them.

"Yea, no one can figure out why the moon does this, but once every ten years, it goes blue like that. Every time it has happened before, they say that the entire world enjoys a day of calm weather or something like that." Eric stated.

"They also say that it's one of the most beautiful sights there is and many couples are often blessed with long happy relationship if they admit their love under it." Sarah added smiling towards Thomas.

The group continued to talk, this time the subject being the various myths all concerning the blue moon and what it represented. At last the sun had completely set and everyone had gathered into their tents. Thomas just smiled having heard all the various myths about the moon, when in truth he knew exactly what the blue moon served as. "You know, I think we may want to head over to the Orange Islands once we get done here." Thomas whispered to Radara as they entered the Thomas's tent. Rebecca had already taken a spot on the sleeping bag, having already fallen asleep waiting for Thomas to join her while he collected a few buckets of water for use in the morning from a nearby creek.

'_It's an idea. Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres will all be reincarnating soon enough.'_ Radara nodded her head debating the issue herself.

"It's lucky for them that they live an extra few years after once again becoming mortal to help raise next incarnations unlike the two of us." Thomas whispered again lying down before Radara took a spot on his stomach.

'_When was the last time we saw them anyway?'_ Radara asked.

"I think it was roughly at the beginning of your last incarnation." Thomas stated. "Yea, it was. That group of hunters chased us to Lighting Island where you reincarnated under Zapdos's protection while I lured them off. I can't recall exactly what happened, but now that I think about it, I feel as though something rather funny happened while I was leading them off."

'_Yes, I can't recall what either, but I do think that you had quiet the hilarious story to tell when you got back.'_ Radara added.

"Come on, let's just get some sleep." Thomas said with a slight laugh. "I'm sure we'll have a good laugh when Zapdos tells us what happened again."

As Thomas fell off to sleep with Radara, neither of them noticed the fact that Thomas's half of the conversation had been heard by another.

"Incarnation? Becoming Mortal?" Eric asked himself utterly confused by what he had heard. "And just who was he talking to anyway? I don't know what Sarah sees in him, but he's crazy to talk like that."

--

The final part of the trip up Mount Moon was roughly the same as the first day, only this time Thomas has something to say as the discussion of the blue moon meant continued.

With Thomas actually part of the conversation, time seemed to move faster and it wasn't long before the group had reached Mount Moon.

With the destination standing in front of them, they began the last stretch of the journey up to summit where the celebration would take place. Thomas lead the way this time having already traveled the mountain several times during his previous incarnations, he knew the quickest and safest route up the summit. By the time that they finally reached the summit, the sun was once again starting to set, but the summit showed no signs of darkness. Several large mobile light posts had been scattered around the summit with large heavy iron fences lined the more dangerous parts of the summit while all sorts of stands had been placed around the edges. All sorts of crews had been busy setting up other stands, some for food, other for drinks, but most were for various games and contests.

"Wow, they really got all sorts of things set up here." Alexia stated as one of the workers came up to greet them.

"Hey, we're still setting up, but if you earn some free tokens, talk to Dexter over there by the main stand. We're offering tokens to all the trainers who show up early for their help since we're a bit behind on the set up." The man informed them. "Other then that, just watch yourself up here."

"Some free tokens sound nice." Sarah smiled.

"It's only a little after nine, we got some time to spend." Eric stated. "It looks like they got a small area set up for tents over there as well."

"Why don't you guys go earn some tokens and I'll set up the tents then." Thomas suggested.

"Sounds good." Joan took off her travel pack and handing it to Thomas. Alexia and Sarah followed her idea. Eric was the last to hand his bag over and since Thomas had his hands full, Rebecca took his bag and then helped Thomas set up the tents. It took him a while, but at last, all five tents had been set up and Thomas had Radara and Juno watch over the tents while he went over to help the others.

The group had only helped out for a few hours before the lights started to shut down and everyone went to sleep.

Thomas woke up early the next morning to find that for once, he had not been the up the earliest. Several of the other workers had been already started setting up the last of the stands and started to organize the different games and foodstuffs. One group was even working on setting up a pair of small battle rings as a large flock of bird Pokemon began to arrive carrying the last day's worth of supplies. Thomas kept his mind open as the day began. Now that was at his destination, he could be needed at anytime. One thing that he had learned, despite his habits to try and get things done quickly, no matter how much he tried to push the matter, he would always show up, just in time, no sooner, no later then the exact moment he was needed.

Deciding that he had no choice to wait, he spent the day once again helping out the people in charge of setting up the festival with all the other trainers who had shown up early and earned himself a fair deal of tokens. By the end of the day helping out, everyone had earned enough tokens that they wouldn't have to buy any for the entire length of the festival. With the festival now ready and with all the various stands set up, everyone looked on at the summit. Now only one thing was missing, and that one thing wouldn't really show up until mid afternoon the tomorrow.

Once again, everyone went to sleep tired that night.

--

The morning of the next passed was quiet and easy. Everyone had decided to help out preparing the first patches of food and finalizing the small details with the games and other stands. The first large group of about forty people all showed up around noon and from that point on, others began to show up in steady groups of ten to twenty at a time. Everyone was having a good time and several trainers had even let their pokemon out to have fun themselves. Sarah took the lead guiding her friends and Thomas along with their pokemon who they had let out through the still growing masses. There were various games like a mini bowling game with little pokemon pins rather then traditional ones and even a basketball booth. Some stands had people test their knowledge about odd and unusual pokemon facts while others where painting faces to look like their pokemon partners. Just like Thomas had predicted, the two small battle arenas that had been set were going to be full until the sun had set with various trainers all trying to prove that they were the best. As they were walking though, a single booth caught Sarah's eyes and she quickly pointed it out to Thomas while Alexia, Joan, and Eric were all busy with another booth.

"Hey, look a fortune teller." Sarah pointed over to the fully enclosed booth with a large eyeball hanging the sheet that covered the doorway inside. Rather then argue, Thomas walked with Sarah over to the booth knowing that she'd most likely drag him along anyway.

"Oh, welcome." An old lady dressed in a large purple dress with a matching witch's hat greeted them as they entered. Thomas could already tell that the crystal ball in the middle had a sort of power source to it that kept it lit up. Although it was hidden rather well in the dim lights, Thomas could just barely see the power cord where the carpet had been shifted a small bit.

"I'd like my fortune told please." Sarah informed the old lady. She already had a small number of tokens in her hand as she took her seat handing them over.

"Very well. Let's see what the future brings for you." The lady placed both of her hands on the crystal ball as it began to glow a bit brighter. Rebecca just looked on confused as this happened while Radara smiled finding that she was focused on such an old trick. "Hmm, I see a long road ahead, a difficult path, but well worth the journey. You will see many wonders and make many friends along this road."

As the lady went on, Thomas just began to ignore her while Sarah's focus was completely focused on the words she was being told. Just as Thomas had finally separate his mind from the world around him through trying to gain any clue he could about why he had been called up, Radara alerted him to an odd fact._ 'Thomas, she's giving off very high psychic readings.'_

Thomas was quickly brought back to find that lady staring strangely into the crystal ball. "Well now, this is very odd."

"What's odd?" Sarah asked.

"I…I see great danger in your future." The lady looked up.

"Great danger? In my future?" Sarah was very confused.

"No." The lady shook her head. "Yours." She pointed to Thomas. Thomas simply looked down at Radara while Rebecca looked a bit scared.

'_Thomas that was no false reading. Her mind was far too active.'_ Radara explained.

"What kind of danger?" Thomas questioned the lady.

"I don't know, but be careful." The lady warned Thomas. He looked down at Radara once more, a serious look on his face.

'_I expect that we won't be protecting Arceus from trainers this time. That was very much a true psychic reading, but she is inexperienced.'_ Radara informed Thomas.

"I'll be sure to watch my back." Thomas said as he left with a worried Rebecca and Sarah following him.

The rest of the day passed quickly. As the sun started to set, the whole reason for the celebration had at last made itself known. The blue moon began to shine brightly bathing the area with its tinted light. With the so called guest of honor as the person in charge of festival had called the blue moon, a new set of events started to place. Rather then deal with the seemingly overactive crowd, Thomas had moved over to the group they had their tents set up away from the action. He wasn't surprised to find Juno resting out by the tents as if waiting for him to come back.

It wasn't too long after Thomas left before Sarah noticed he had left and went looking for him only to find him sitting around a small fire with his pokemon.

"Thomas, you're missing everything." Sarah stated.

"It got a little too crowded for my liking. Besides, I've got a nice quiet view of the moon from here." Thomas pointed up to the view he had. The full blue moon was surrounded by stars in the cloudless night sky. Although Sarah tried to get Thomas to come back to the festival, she soon gave up seeing that Thomas wasn't going to move, she decided to join him. It wasn't long afterwards that they went into their tents and fell asleep just as the festival was dying down.

xXx

The next day, things started much earlier since so many of the people attending had set up camps all over the mountain to stay within easy reach of the festival. After everyone had had breakfast, Thomas decided that it was time to explore the caves in the mountain. With the fortune teller's warning still fresh in his head, Thomas had asked Rebecca to spend some time wandering with Sarah and have some fun while he was exploring with Radara. She was a bit hesitant to leave Thomas, but she was beginning to return to her natural self.

Before heading into the caves though, he made a stop back by the fortune teller's stand only to find it empty. Rather then wait; he proceeded down the mountain to a large cave system.

"Well, I got a strange feeling about this." Thomas stated as he pulled out his flashlight and started into the cave.

'_I know what you mean.'_ Radara explained as they started their way in. With the festival in full swing, most of the wild pokemon that normally resided on Mount Moon had worked their way deeper into the caves to avoid the noise and unwanted contact. As the two of them traveled deeper into the mountain, Thomas's head began to hurt as he recalled the routes he had taken through the mountain in previous incarnations. Traveling along at a steady pace, the cave grew darker and darker and Thomas put a unique collar on Radara, one that had a small LED light on it to provide some light for herself as well as mark her location for Thomas.

Having doubled back after checking one of the large chambers in the cave, but coming up empty along that route, Thomas was now taking a break as she shook his head a bit. "I forgot just how big this mountain was, and just how many memories went with it."

'_How are you holding up?'_ Radara asked.

"Well, aside from the usual, I'm glad to say that the memories are coming up slowly as we travel rather then all at once. That helps me sort things out much easier and makes this headache a lot less painful." Thomas explained.

'_I know.'_ Radara began looking around.

"Well, if I got these memories down right, we're nearing the center of this cave." Thomas placed a hand on his head for a second before pointing down one of the passages. "If we head down this passage, take a left at spilt, and then just keep following that passage, we should enter the main chamber."

'_I hope so. We've been down here for a while now.'_ Radara took a look at Thomas's PokeNav noticing that it was already noon meaning that they had been down here for a few hours already.

Having spent enough rubbing his head, Thomas got back up and started down the passage again with Radara once again by his side. As they walked, several pokemon scurried out of their way not wanting to deal with a human. As Thomas and Radara continued, quiet echoes caught the attention of their ears. At first, nothing was distinguishable, but as they traveled down further, the echoes became clear.

"This way." A loud, deep voice shouted bringing a worried look to Thomas's face.

"I found it. Over here." A second voice quickly followed. Thomas and Radara broke into a small jog as they heard more and more.

"Machamp, use Mega Punch." Another voice called as they drew even closer. Rounding a corner, they saw a small light down the passage.

"Charizard, Fire Blast." This time, the voice was followed a bright flash of light and a small blast. Several smaller pokemon ran past Thomas and Radara as they ran closer to the action.

"Boss, we got company." The first voice shouted again.

"Glaceon, use Ice Beam." A sudden blast at the end of the passage resulted in a frozen wall serving a blockade.

"Radara." Thomas shouted breaking into a run.

Using her psychic abilities, she picked up a small stone and shot it straight into the center of the ice wall cracking it severely. Now it was Thomas's turn and as he sped up. Electricity gathered on his hands and feet before gathering into his shoulder. With a mighty slam, Thomas broke through the barrier.

As Thomas stormed through the barrier with Radara right behind him, he now understood the reason behind his summons. Three large men, all dawning the black suits with their red R's upon them and six pokemon had managed to corner Arcues. The three larger ones, a Machamp, a Charizard, and a Mamoswine had managed to corner Arceus against the far wall of the chamber while the three ones, a Glaceon, a Raichu, and a Cacturne were on her flanks preventing any escape.

"Arceus, grant us Dominion!" Thomas shouted. All three of the men all looked to Arcues who gave off a massive golden glow. Looking back over to Thomas and Radara, all three of the men were confused by the similar glow that had gathered around Thomas and Radara. Both of them have taken a very relaxed stance. Radara had taken a seat her tail lying on the cave floor while Thomas was still standing. Both of them had their eyes closed and their heads hung down just a bit.

"Get them. We don't need interference." The leader of the three Rocket members shouted. "Charizard, use Fire Blast."

Radara was the first to response, her eyes opened up giving off their own bright blue glow as a massive green barrier appeared before Thomas and Radara stopping the fiery star from hitting them. Thomas was the next to move, electricity surged all over his body. As the barrier faded way, Thomas charged forward, his face showing a blank stare more then anything. Before the Charizard had a chance to move, Thomas placed an open palm on its stomach. The electricity that had once surged through his body now danced all over the Charizard. Thomas left his hand resting on the Charizard for a few seconds before it finally passed out.

--

"You're sure they went this way?" Sarah asked as she held her flashlight up walking through the caves.

'_Yea, his scent if fresh, so he must of just passed through here.'_ Rebecca stated. _'I wonder why he wandered off like that though?'_

"I guess he felt crowded." Sarah replied as they walked down the stone passage.

"Cacturne, use Pin Missile. I want that kid gone." A voice shouted causing Rebecca and Sarah to just look at each worried about what was happening.

--

Thomas had easily down the Charizard and Radara had focused her attention on the Machamp while Thomas sidestepped the Pin Missile attack that had been sent his way. Radara gathered up a massive amount of psychic energy before releasing the blast in the form of a partially transparent sphere. The small orb hit the Machamp head on sending him flying back crashing roughly into the wall behind it.

As Thomas continued to move closer to his next target. The Cacturne wasn't going to give up easily though and continued its ranged assault. Thomas was too fast however and moved into melee range starting off with a low kick knocking the pokemon off balance. With its footing gone, it started to fall back as Thomas slammed a fist into its head sending it down hard onto the cave floor. Another massive burst of electricity danced over his new target and although it took longer to knock out his foe since it was a grass type, the attack still worked. As the attack continued though and electricity continued to pour though Thomas's body, it also began to affect him as well. Small scorch marks began to appear on his fingers and palms, the focus points where he had been discharging his electrical attacks.

With both Radara and Thomas having taken down half of the Rocket's pokemon so quickly, the Rocket members began to worry. In their attempts to weaken Arceus for capture, they had already lost twelve of their pokemon total and now these two had just taken out half of their remaining crew. To make matters worse, one of them was a human that didn't appear to be so human.

"I want them gone! KILL THEM!" The Rocket leader shouted.

All three of the remaining pokemon now turned their attention to Thomas and Radara, both of which were already preparing their next moves. Radara was once again gathering psychic energy. Thomas was also gathering up energy himself, although it was of his element. Electricity gathered in his hands before him, the occasional bolt flying out of the sphere hitting him singeing the skin where it hit.

As the Glaceon, Raichu, and Mamoswine all charged forward, Thomas and Radara both released their attacks. Radara had targeted the Raichu sending it flying much like she had done with the Machamp while the orb of electricity that Thomas had gathered turned into a storm of lighting. Used in such a confined area however resulted in a case in friendly fire as both Thomas and Radara had been hit by a few stray bolts from the attack that Thomas had fired. Seeing all of their pokemon had been downed, the Rockets had no choice but to call back their pokemon. In a final act to try and get revenge for ruining their plans, the Rocket leader pulled out a pistol and fired upon Thomas.

--

As Sarah and Rebecca ran down the passage, a gunshot rang out through the passage. Fearing the worst, both of them began to run even faster.

--

Thomas stood still, looking at the bullet that had been caught inside the light green wall that Radara had put up. The Rocket leader fired another few shots, but unlike the first one that had been caught inside the defensive move, all of the other bullets had been stopped by the attack.

"Thomas?" Sarah shouted as she entered the chamber with Rebecca. With unexpected event drew the attention of both Thomas and Radara who looked over to see who had called out the name. Seeing his chance, the Rocket leader fired one last shot. Thomas's head turned just in time to see the bullet before it flew through his chest. It passed cleanly through his chest as Thomas looked down at the small hole.

'_Thomas?!'_ Rebecca shouted as Thomas fell to his knees.


	8. Chapter 8

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:  
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.  
_'Character Thought'_  
(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 8

Thomas stood still, looking at the bullet that had been caught inside the light green wall that Radara had put up. The Rocket leader fired another few shots, but unlike the first one which had been caught inside the defensive move, all of the other bullets had been stopped by the attack.

"Thomas?" Sarah shouted as she entered the chamber with Rebecca. With unexpected event drew the attention of both Thomas and Radara who looked over to see who had called out the name. Seeing his chance, the Rocket leader fired one last shot. Thomas's head turned just in time to see the bullet before it flew through his chest. It passed cleanly through his chest as Thomas looked down at the small hole.

_'Thomas?!'_ Rebecca shouted as Thomas fell to his knees.

In retaliation to the Rocket leader's attack Radara fired another psychic blast right above the small passage that the Rockets had started to retreat down. There was a large blast as smoke and the sounds of collapsing rock filled the chamber.

_'Thomas, answer me!_' Rebecca shouted trying to use her aura sight to find Thomas as the rocks and dust continued to flood the chamber. Try as she might, she could not find Thomas's aura in the chamber, just her own, Sarah's and three others that mirrored each other,she also saw an aura one which she had never seen before.

A strong blast of air blew the smoke out of the chamber revealing Thomas in his kneeling position using an arm to support himself. Looking over to find the source of the wind, Sarah was shocked to find Arceus slowly walking towards them, her large golden ring almost appearing on fire. "Arceus? Here?" Sarah just couldn't believe the sight before her. Rebecca on the other hand was too focused on Thomas too notice her. Rebecca was quickly at his side helping him up. She was confused though seeing his body, but with another's aura. Sarah went to take a step closer to Arceus. Radara immediately took a space between Sarah and Arceus though.

_'You may step down Radara she means me no harm. Like most, she is just surprised to see me in the flesh.'_ A soft voice sounded throughout the room. As this voice sounded, the flames surrounding the ring around Arceus's midsection died down some, as did the glow in Radara's eyes. Radara stumbled for a bit in the middle of the step she was taking before she recovered and took a look around.

_'Sarah!'_ Radara turned to face Arceus and then looked over to Thomas and Rebecca before returning her gaze to Sarah.

_'Thomas, please get up.'_ Rebecca once again tried to help Thomas up, but he didn't stay up for long.

Arceus walked over to them smiling to herself as she approached. _'Calm down little one, he will be fine.'_

Rebecca was surprised by the sudden voice about her and she quickly turned around to see Arceus standing over her. _'Arceus?'_

_'Just relax.'_ Arceus moved even closer now standing over him. Thomas looked up at her as her ring light up brightly. As the ring burned brighter, small bolts of electricity began to dance over his feet and hands. The smell of burnt flesh began to drift off Thomas as his finger tips began to spark, but the small bleeding hole in his chest scabbed over and closed a bit before it stopped healing and the sparks left his body. The flames on Arceus's ring also dissipated. Thomas closed his eyes and when they opened back, they were once again his. He shook his head quickly looking to his chest moving his shirt aside to see the full extent of the damage. It wasn't until he looked up and saw Rebecca standing beside Arceus that became fully aware of what all had taken place.

"Rebecca? Sarah? What are you doing here?" Thomas half shouted as he quickly tried to get up only to fall backwards still tired from the effects of Dominion.

"Thomas, what's going on?" Sarah asked.

_'Relax, my child. I do __not __feel threatened by her presence.'_ Arceus's voice filled the minds of those around her.

"Wait, child?" Sarah looked to Arceus confused by the words.

"How did you find me? I thought you were all up at the festival." Thomas asked.

"Thomas, what's going on here. You know Arceus? And what about that guy who shot you. You should be dead." Sara exclaimed.

"Arceus, can't you do something? She does not need to know about this." Thomas countered looking up to Arceus as Rebecca once again returned to his side.

_'Thomas, what happened?'_ Rebecca demanded.

"Thomas, tell me what's going on." Sara raised her voice demanding an answer.

"Nothing that you need to know about." Thomas replied pointing to Sara.

Arceus laughed a bit seeing how quickly Thomas was trying to lead Sara away much like he had done with Diana in his previous incarnation. _'Please calm down Soular. I sense that she may be willing to help you. As the last of children, you can use the help.'  
_  
"Please don't call me that name… I no longer deserve it." Thomas quickly turned his head away with a slight look of sadness on his face.

_'Why not my son. You have always accepted the name I have given you. Why do choose to deny it now in these recent incarnations.'_ Arceus questioned kneeling on her front legs to look Thomas in the face.

"That was the name of the child you gave birth to long ago, I am not that man." Thomas stated as his head began to pound again.

_'Thomas? Thomas are you alright?'_ Rebecca asked as she kneeled beside Thomas as well to try and look at his face.

_'You will always be Soular, the one I gave birth to many generations ago. Despite the fact that you have changed, you will always be my son.'_ Arceus softened her tone sensing the doubt and confusion in Thomas's mind.

_'Thomas please. What happened here?'_ Rebecca pleaded with Thomas wanting to know what had happened.

"Rebecca, I'm fine. It was clean shot though my chest and it barely even touched my heart. It's not that serious of an injury thanks to the power of Dominion." Thomas quickly stated looking at his hands and the electrical burns on his fingers he had in a way given to himself. "I'll just need a week or two to finish healing these wounds."

"Wait, you mean you got shot through the heart?" Sarah shouted. "How are you still standing?"

"I said it barely touched my heart, it didn't go through it." Thomas countered.

_'Arceus, you can't seriously be thinking that. The last time you allowed another to join us like that, they nearly sold Thomas to that group of hunters working for those religious fools who call themselves the Knights of Arceus.'_ Radara quickly stated.

"What? Oh no, I'm not letting another join me as a partner, not after what happened with Jane." Thomas strictly stated.

_'And yet you let Diana assist you and she is still even assisting you know.'_ Arceus countered.

"Someone please tell me what's going on." Sara demanded.

"Diana is not my traveling companion. From what I gather, my father knew his incarnation was coming up and decided that she could help him that way since she wanted to help him so much." Thomas stated.

_'Sara, I sense that you like Thomas a lot. Do you think that you could be a help to him on his journey?'_ Arceus turned to face a Sara.

"Help him. Help him do what?" Sara asked.

_'As the last of my children, Thomas is forced to act as the protector for all the legendary pokemon much like myself.' _Arceus began. _'Being the last of his kind, I feel that he could once again use some help since the attacks against us are becoming more frequent over these last few decades.'  
_  
"No. For that last time no. It's my job and not hers." Thomas stated. "She shouldn't even have been down here." Thomas fell down to one knee clutching his chest.

_'Thomas?! Are you okay?'_ Rebecca asked.

"Healing a wounded heart is one of the most stressful and painful tasks there are. Why couldn't he have just shot me a little bit more to the right? A lung shot wouldn't have hurt this bad." Thomas stated as he backed up against the cave wall.

"How the hell are you still alive?" Sara rushed over. "You claim to have been shot in the heart, but how is that possible. You should have bled out by now."

_'He is my child.'_ Arceus explained. _'Much like myself, you'd be surprised what we can live through. Some would say that curse however is to live with the pain of death.'_

"Trust me, at times I've considered taking the option of death over some of the injuries I've taken." Thomas stated as he breathing started to relax. "Man, this is going to take a week to heal up." Thomas moved his shirt aside taking a better look at the wound. A small line of dried blood was visible leading down his chest from the entry wound, but the wound itself still looked a bit bad. Although it had completely scabbed over, the wound went straight through his body. "Damn it, I think he cracked a rib too. Radara, you were burned to bad were you?"

_'I am fine.'_ Radara stated finally looking over her own body. Aside from a few patches of singed fur from that final electrical attack that Thomas had used while under the power of Dominion, she was in near perfect condition.

Rebecca grabbed onto Thomas's hands only to have him pull them back quickly in pain. _'Thomas? I didn't mean to hurt you.'_

"It's nothing that you could have stopped." Thomas stated looking at his burned fingers. "Under the effects of Dominion, I temporally have complete access to my full range of abilities, but at this point, my body can't handle that much electricity flowing through it. My focus points discharged a lot more electricity that I could handle and this is the result. It'll be healed in just a day, maybe two. Like I told you before, flesh wounds are easy to heal up. I didn't lose any skin or really damage my cells; they'll heal up fast enough."

"Just what exactly are you?" Sara stated getting down on hr knees beside Thomas.

"Nothing that you need to know about." Thomas quickly stated.

_'Soular, please. Even you have your limits. You could use the help.'_ Arceus continued to smile as she took a seat.

"Radara is all the help I need." Thomas stated.

_'Thomas, I must agree with Arceus this time. I trust her judgment that she means us no harm. She is worried genuinely worried about you.'_ Radara's voice filled the room this time drawing a confused look from Sarah.

"Thomas, just what's going on? Please tell me." Sara asked again, her voice much calmer this time.

_'Soular, tell her.'_ Arceus asked kindly knowing that he would not continue to refuse her for long.

"Fine, but please… just stop calling me by that name." Thomas replied. "I guess I can't hold anything back this time. Where should I start?"

"Thomas, what are you?" Sarah asked.

"I am a watcher, a child of Arceus. It's my job to protect the legendaries. I've been doing this for the past thousand years." Thomas replied.

"Wait, thousand years? But how can that be. We've known each other since we were little kids." Sara questioned.

"Like all the other Legendaries, I'm immortal. Every 120 years, I reincarnate into my next body to lead a new life. Radara does the same thing. What really separates my immortality from the other Legendaries though is the length of our cycles and how long we live after our new body is formed. I'll live a few days, a week at most after my new body is formed, but the other legendaries live 500 year life spans, often living several years past the creation of their new bodies to teach themselves who they are and what they are capable of." Thomas stated.

"Huh? What do you mean reincarnate? I thought immortality was the ability to live forever." Sara asked.

_'Have you ever heard the saying no one lives forever. It was started by the first few generations of immortals, a reminder to our kind. Even Arceus must reincarnate, but her life span is much longer then the rest of us. Instead, our memories and mental traits are all passed down to our next body.'_ Radara explained. _'As a matter of fact, the blue moon that the festival above us is celebrating is actually the warning sign that someone will reincarnate soon.'  
_  
"Then you mean to tell me that one of the legendary pokemon are going to reincarnate soon. Who is it?" Sara turned towards Arceus mistaking Radara's voice for hers.

_'Sara, I was talking just now. Not Arceus.'_ Radara stated.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that was you. You're the first psychic pokemon that has ever really talked to me." Sara turned to face Radara now.

_'In most cases, the human must share a bond with their psychic pokemon before they can truly talk with each other, but I'm much more powerful then your average psychic.'_ Radara explained. _'As for the next one to reincarnate, that would be…'_

An unexpected beeping sounded causing everyone to look towards Thomas as he pulled out his PokeNav. "Enough for now Radara, we should leave this for a later time. We need to get back to the campsite before the others come looking for us." Thomas tried to rise as if he had never been shot in the first place, but as soon as he took two steps, he collapsed over in pain. Rebecca and Sarah both rush to his side at the same time, but Rebecca helped Thomas up before Sarah could do anything however. Once more Sarah noticed how close and protective she was being with Thomas.

Then it hit her all at once how protective and close Thomas and Rebecca really were with each other. "Please Thomas tell me. I need to know." She paused knowing what the answer might be. Although the thought of a human and a pokemon sharing such a powerful relationship with each other did not exactly disgust her, after all she had a met a few people with such relationships, the thought that Thomas had fallen in love with someone else was disappointing. "Are you and Rebecca … are you both together."

Thomas just sits there in silence as Arceus looks on with an understanding smile on her face. Her next words shared with Thomas and Thomas alone. _'I'm happy for you, my son. After all these years, you have finally found love once again. I know you have tried to shield yourself from it, because of the pain it has caused you the last time, but it was not your fault.'_ Still Thomas sits there knowing that he can't hide anything from her, not even the doubt he still feels even know from the memories of the reason he had cast off love and the many other possible things that could happen because of who he was. However, when she turns to face and look into Rebecca's mind, she senses nothing but concern and care for her injured mate. _'Thomas, you are lucky to have found such a caring mate. You have my blessings.'_ She smiled at her son. Though neither Sarah nor Rebecca could tell, both Radara and Thomas could feel the joy coming from Arcues.

Thomas looked over to Sarah. "Sarah…" Before Thomas could answer her, the group of them heard shouting from down one of the passages. Everyone immediately looked down the passage seeing a few dull lights. "We have to move." Thomas quickly rose to his feet again before once again falling down onto one knee. Rebecca went to help again, but he stood up before she had the chance, his eyes just barely giving off a dull glow as he tired to accelerate the healing process. "Any ideas on how we can get out here?" Thomas asked though clenched teeth.

Sarah was the first to say something. " Uh what do we do about Arceus? Most of these passages are too small for her."

"We have to move though. There's now way she can stay here. If that other group got out, they could make a call and have this whole mountain filled with Rockets." Thomas stated, his body still in great pain but he was determined to complete his task.

"It's not like we can just walk out of the cave with her with her in tow and not have some trainer try and capture her." Sarah just looks up at Arceus still in partial disbelief at what she is seeing. Her mother had always been a big time believer in Arceus and the direct religion that followed Arceus, which she just found out that the church had incorrectly guessed at her gender all this time mistaking her for a him. Not only that, but looking at her now, she couldn't help but think about what else the church her mother had always raised her under was wrong about. She had always had her doubts about it, but now she was standing before the real thing. Now that she was actually thinking about it, it was just too much for her take in at once.

Sensing Sarah's confusion and doubt, Arceus looks towards her again. _'They took many liberates young one, with what I have told them over the years and have twisted my words to suit there needs, though I would have liked for them to not follow my words so blindly. I tried to make sure that it was understood that I wanted humans and pokemon to live in harmony, but others wanted it to be different. It was that kind of thoughts that led to the War of Legends. Though I do have hope that one day you all will see that you have more in common then what you realize.' _

Sarah simply stands there as she takes all this in. Thomas looks back at her then looks at Arcues. "You could have waited till later to explain that to her. Despite her being open minded towards things, I think that was too much for even her to take in. It's not everyday you have God tell you most of what they taught you was wrong. Her mother was very religious and tried her best to pass that on to Sarah."

Rebecca smiles a bit. _'Sorta like you Thomas never telling me what you were. Always thinking about protecting others before your self.'_ She looks towards his wounds even though he has been healed somewhat she can still see the scaring on his body.

Radara brings them all out of the discussion at hand though reminding them of what was going on. _'Never mind that right now, we can discuss this later. Right now we have to leave this mountain. The question is how are we going to protect you from all those trainers, we can't just simply put you into a pokeball now mind you.'  
_  
_'Why not Radara?__'_ Thomas just looks at her with a slight look of confusion. _'__It's not they can really do much to me despite how much humans have advance__d__ and how much power they have seemed to achieve__ with their science__. I may still not have recovered completely from the war, but I am still far more powerful then many give me credit for. With each passing incarnation, I regain some of my power. They cannot hope to control me with their __little toys__. The would only be able to be to restrain me for a limited time. Besides, I have always wondered what it is like in such a device. I can't really see any reason why you have always hated them so much. I have been told that they aren't that bad from the others who have been caught for a short time by trainers. We have always escaped before when we did not wish to serve a human.'_ Arceus states looking towards Radara tilting her head just a bit. _'Your still not afraid of enclosed spaces are you? Surely after __five__ incarnations, you must have overcome your fear by now.'_

Thomas is just a bit surprised by her sudden decision. "Well, you're still weak from that battle, maybe you should think this through a bit more."

'_I see no reason that it would cause me any harm.'_ Arceus responds calmly.

_'Don't say I didn't warn you Arcues.'_ Radara chimes in. Walking over to Arceus, Thomas pulls out the only spare Pokeball he had and gently taps it to Arceus's body. In a bright flash of red light, Arceus vanishes as the ball closes shaking fiercely. Seconds later though, a few sparks encase the ball as Thomas quickly throws it away from the group before the device explodes and Arceus returns to standing before them. "Ok that didn't work."

_'Well__,__ that was __different, a tad bit confined__. I did enjoy the silence though, although it was only for a few seconds.'_ Arcues proudly states.

Sarah brought out her stupor by this as she quickly realized a small fact. "Thomas did you just use a regular pokeball?"

"Yea, why do ask?" Thomas asked.

"Because stupid you can only catch weak pokemon with them. I seriously doubt Arcues is that weak. Despite what you say, I think you need an ultra ball or at that a masterball to catch….I mean transport Arcues." She catches herself realizing she was going to refer to Arcues as normal pokemon. " I am so sorry about that, I do't know what came over me." She hurries up and bows.

_'It is ok child I know you meant no disrespect in your words.'_ Her words bring great comfort to Sarah.

Sarah thinks for a minute., but comes up blank as the group hears another slightly louder shouting from down one of the halls. Then Radara presents an idea. _'Arceus, have you regained the ability to transform again?'_

Arcues turns and looks at Radara for a second as she smiles at him _'Why yes child I can.'_

Thomas catches something subtle from Arcues's words and how she gave him a brief look but before he can even voice his opinion or anything, she was surrounded by a bright light. Acrues quickly shrinks in size almost down to the same size as Sarah. As light fades away, Arcues is now standing before them appearing as a human. Sarah just looked on in a bit of shock at how close Arceus's human body looked like Thomas's. Standing side by side like they were, Sarah could see that they shared the same color blue eyes and black hair, and expect for the obvious gender differences, they looked like perfect twins. Arceus had even chosen to copy the same style of clothing that Thomas himself was wearing. Thomas gave a small sigh as another louder shout reminded them all of what was going on.

"They're almost here. Come on and let's get going." Sarah says with urgency.

Rebecca tries to help Thomas once more as he tries to stand on his own and still stumbles a bit. She growls at his stubbornness and goes to try to pick him up to just carry, but before she can, his eyes give off a powerful glow. Arceus quickly takes note of the soft glow around his legs. _'Is that, Psychic? Quiet an interesting use of the attack.'_ She states.

"Come on. Living as long as we have, you should know that I've learned a few tricks." Thomas stated. "Learning to use Psychic to increase my own physical abilities may have taken a while, but it has served its purpose well." Thomas explained.

'_You do know-'_ Arceus started.

"That this will hit me hard later? Yea, I figured that one out when I was still perfecting the use of it." Thomas finished as he stumbled just a bit before he stood up straight. "Come on, let's go."

They hear some shouts and harsh language behind them as they venture father into the cave. After a few wrong turns and dead ends they finaly get out of the caves but not where they wanted to be.

"Great." Sarah looks over the edge of the cliff they found themselves standing at as the shouting once again starts to grow louder behind them. "Are we suppose to climb down or what?"

"Not in my condition. I'm pushing my limits just walking right now." Thomas states. "And I don't that Radara could teleport us all down there before our friends arrive."

As a small argument breaks out about how to get down, Arcues simply looks to the sky and smiles. The sound of wings fills the air as a large flock of various flying pokemon rise up from the trees around the mountain towards the cliff. Thomas passes Arcues a quick look. Arcues smiles at them. '_I asked them if they would min__d assisting us get down safely.__ They're more than willing to help.'_

A pair of large Fearow each held out their legs as they held their position letting Thomas and Sarah grab on while a Pidgeot came down and let Arceus take hold in the same manor. A pair of Pidgeotto came down and helped Rebecca down while a Spearow assisted Radara. Once they lot of them had been safely let down on the ground, the group thanked the birds for their help before they flew off to return to their nests.

'_Well, I think I should be getting along. I promised Ho-oh that I would be there to watch the up coming meteor shower with her.'_ Arceus stated as she took a few steps back. _'I do hope that you will help my son with his quest Sarah. And Thomas, try to treat her kindly.'_

"Hey wait." Before Thomas had a reach chance to voice his opinions however, Arceus's body gave off a massive flash as she returned to her natural body and then vanished.

Thomas just looked down at Radara. "There's no avoiding this is their?" Thomas asked.

'_I'm quiet sure that your mother just indirectly told you to let her travel with us.'_ Radara replied.

"So Thomas, where are we headed next?" Sarah smiled at Radara's words.

"I guess we're camping down here for the night." Thomas stated. "There's no way I'm making it back up that mountain." Thomas walked to a large fallen tree and took a seat as his eyes stopped glowing. Rebecca was quickly able to see the sudden shift in his aura knowing that he was once again in pain.

"Camping here? But all of our things are up on the summit?" Sarah questioned.

"Radara, think you can get our things back without drawing attention?" Thomas asked.

'_We set up camp far enough back that it shouldn't be a problem. I'll be able to bring back our things, but I don't think that I can teleport Juno back with me.'_ Radara informed then.

"And what about my friends. They'll notice that we've disappeared." Sarah stated.

'_In a celebration as large as this, you would be surprised how easily minds can be influenced. Very few people will be truly concerned with trying to shield their thoughts with so many fun things around them.' _Radara explained. _'The simple thought that family issues have come up is easily accepted by many and should be enough to convince them of our early retreat from the celebration.'_

"She does have a point. The trick to influencing others at times like this is to give vague, easily accepted excuses. As distracted as they will be with the celebration, they should hopefully readily accept the thought as truth." Thomas stated.

"I hope you're right." Sarah stated.

"As for Juno, we both know that she enjoys mountain climbing. Just let her make her own way down the mountain, but be sure she knows that we'll be leaving in around midday tomorrow. The sooner I head to a hospital for a quick check up, the better." Thomas said as Radara prepared to teleport up the mountain.

"I'll be sure to let her know." Radara replied just before she vanished.

"So, Thomas, tell me more about what you are." Sarah asked.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" Thomas replied finally starting to accept the fact that he would have a new traveling companion for a long while.

"Let's start with just what all you can do." Sarah stated as she took a seat beside Thomas. With nothing else to really do while he waited for Radara to return, Thomas began explaining what all he was and just what all he could do to Sarah. Rebecca also leaned in to listen since Thomas had not explained everything to her yet either.

xXx

Some where near Mount Moon, sunset…

"Lord Luis. I have great news. Dex's hunch was right. The boy was at the festival." A man came running up to a clearing that held a campsite in the forest just south of Mount Moon, the campfire just barely providing enough light.

"You confirmed that is the Jackson then." A larger man stood up, a massive blue cloak covered most of his body as well as hiding his face.

"Yes we have. I was easily able to identify the Ninetales that the records spoke of, it had the same scar on its stomach that the picture of them had. He seems to have picked up a few more friends as well. I've sent James to keep an eye on him, but I haven't heard from him since he followed Jackson down the mountain and into the cave system." The first man stated.

"We should attack him now, before he has the chance to disappear again." A woman stood up wearing a similar cloak as the larger of the two men.

"No, we have no way to tell if he has reached his full abilities yet. We'll call forth the others and then with the full power of the knights, we shall be rid of this scum." The larger man stated. "Send the call out. And make sure we have enough of the poison to coat all of our weapons this time. It may be the only way to weaken him if he has reached his full power."

"I noticed that one of the people he arrived seemed to have a strong dislike towards him. It would appear that Jackson has influenced a girl that this young man has taken an interest in. Shall I track him down and bring him here." The smaller man asked.

"Yes, we will need as much information about Jackson as we can get. Perhaps this young man may know something we can use." The larger man stated.

"I shall track him down at once." The smaller man bowed before running back towards Mount Moon.

"If he has influenced others, we will to be prepared to subdue them or in a worst case scenario, be prepared to kill if their minds are too far gone." The woman stated.

"I understand this, but he is the last of his kind. By killing him, we will have rid the world of those traitors at last." The large man smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:  
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'  
(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 9

Three days had passed since Thomas had been shot. After a quick day of resting though, Thomas was once again able to walk on his own and most of the basic damage that had been done to his hands had healed up, although the tips of his fingers were still a bit sensitive. The bullet wound he had was also quickly healing as well, but Thomas knew that he would need it looked at. It took a day to reach a town after that where Thomas visited the local hospital. By passing his now smaller chest injury off as a stray Bullet Seed shot after a battle got a little out of hand and little bit of Radara's psychic influence, the doctor was clearly able to give Thomas an idea of what the damage was, but was still left in the dark as to what had really happened. After informing Thomas of his injuries, Thomas lied stated that was already on his way back to his home town and would get a complete check up done there and thanks once again to Radara's influence, the doctor let him go without any fuss. After the hospital visit, he was once again back on the road with the doctor's clear warning to take it easy for a week still fresh in his mind. Deciding that it would still be best to put some distance between himself and Mount Moon though, Thomas had chosen to take a short bus ride down towards Celadon. From there, Thomas and Sarah once again started moving, this time heading west.

The sun was already starting to set as Thomas and Sarah once again started to set up camp for the night. Having spent the better part of the three days already explaining what he was to Sarah and giving Rebecca a much more detailed version while he was at it, she still had some trouble taking everything in. As Sarah began to boil some water over their small campfire, Thomas once again found himself looking through his the possessions of past lives. Radara had curled up inside Thomas's tent while Rebecca went out to gather some berries since she didn't like spaghetti very much leaving just the two of them to talk once more.

"So Thomas, how did you get that sword anyway?" Sarah asked as Thomas set the blade down on a large flat rock.

"It's called the Crystal Eye, namely for a design that that original hilt had on it and it was a gift to me from a forge city around… I think, um, let's see." Thomas stated as he set the blade down in deep thought. "It was sometime during the very early days of the third Sinnoh religious reforms, and that was early 1100s, but I think it still after the fall of Queen Gailwind, so that would place closer to the 1200's. No, maybe it was before her death, or was it?" Thomas softly talked to himself as Sarah listened in wondering just what Thomas had lived to see considering what all he continued to list off during the 1100 and 1200s while trying to figure how old the sword was. "If I had to guess, 800 years ago."

"Wait, did you say 800 years ago?" Sarah asked taking another look at the blade. There were no visible cracks or flaws in the blade itself, even though the hilt did look a bit worn.

"Yea, and I've done my best to take care of it. My entire clan of immortal brothers and sisters were each given a weapon of our choice, all custom forged to fit the martial arts we found ourselves most skilled at. I was one of the few who could not decide which path to really take. I finally choose this blade, forged for many purposes, some of which were for combat, others much more meager like clearing undergrowth." Thomas explained. "Speaking of which, I should probably start training with it again. I'll also need to find some more polishing stones soon. My father sold his set just before reincarnation to help make sure I had some funds when I started traveling. Then again, that was before the Falston's got promoted to where they are now." Thomas stated, his head hung down still trying to remember exactly when the blade had been forged..

"That's right, it was only shortly after the Falston's adopted you that they were promoted and it took them a few years to get that manor. You really picked a good family to settle into." Sarah smiled. "And if they hadn't gotten promoted, we never would have met."

"My father picked it, not me." Thomas countered.

"Every time you refer to your past life, you almost always say father. Why is that anyway?" Sarah questioned having only heard him refer to his past lives directly as himself once.

"The way I see it right now, I'm not the man he was and I'll never be that man, but he will always be my direct ancestor in a way. This single life cycle shall be a different man from every other. It mostly just a habit most of us have developed." Thomas replied thinking it over himself.

"Us?" Sarah asked a bit confused.

"The immortals." Thomas explained. "Compared to the rest of the creatures living on this world, we immortals live a very unique life style. Many of our traditions, rituals, and many other things are all centered around the moon, it played a major part of our life styles. As a matter of fact, the next full moon will mark a very important date for me."

"Really? What will the next full moon mean to you?" Sarah asked as Thomas pulled out the small wooden box that contained the strange glove that he had been keeping with him for generations.

"Well, to explain that, I'd have to explain the importance of the numbers nine, eighteen, and twenty-seven to you." Thomas stated as he started to put all of his things aside from the small box and his sword away. "In my clan, the clan of Arceus's children, there were exactly 240 of us, half of them were like me appearing human, the other half consisted of various breeds of pokemon." Thomas left the box on the stone he had been sitting on as he went over to help Sarah strain the water from the spaghetti. "Since we all lived 120 cycles, each year, two of us would reincarnate, one like me and one pokemon, but we had pattern to it. I'm currently eighteen, as for Radara she is seventy-eight. The day I turn sixty, she will reincarnate and then when her next body turns sixty, I will reincarnate. This pattern helps to provide balance. Following this pattern, my clan came up with the numbers nine, eighteen, and twenty-seven. At the age of nine, we have our first awaking, the first real set of memories we have wake up telling us of who we really are, how we came to be, and few other key details. This is referred to as the day of Age. Once one turned nine, they had a voice and were allowed to start making something of their lives since would start to steadily regain the knowledge of past lives. Although we were still placed under several restrictions like we couldn't make any actions in the council, we were allowed to use our voice to make suggestions to those who did have a say in such things." With the spaghetti strained, Sarah opened up a small can of sauce to go with it just as Rebecca came back with a bucket full of berries.

"The next number in our lives that held real importance was the age of eighteen, the day of maturity. Much like how humans are considered adults at that age, those of us who had turned eighteen were given a complete place in the clan and allowed to take a much more active role in clan life. We were considered as one of the tribe and expected to pull our weight, but we had not yet completely earned our true freedom in a sense. We were still considered inexperienced having to rely on the knowledge of past lives for many things. Still, one of the more important acts of our eighteenth year was that it was the first year that we would be allowed to pick our first mate in that year. Many of us did, but like with all species, there were a few that waited much later. Anyway, the fact that I am to truly choose my mate is why the significance of the next full moon holds such value for me. It's been several incarnations since I have chosen a mate and now that I have one, I intend to follow the old traditions of my kind." Thomas finished.

'_I guess that explains why you brought up those numbers, well the number eighteen at least back at the manor when you were talking to Juno at the manor. Still, just what traditions did your kind follow?'_ Rebecca asked having been following the conversation as she began to snack on the berries she had passed having already passed some to Radara.

"Long ago, the average human life span, the common choice of mate for my clan, was only about sixty years of age between that wars, plagues, and other such events. Aside from select breeds of pokemon, this was a common number for the number of years most pokemon lived as well. The tradition takes roughly a year to complete, but basically, it is the creation of glove much like the one in this box here. Since we place so much value in the moon, the act of creating a glove like can only be done under the light of the full moon. In the end, the true purpose of the glove is to serve sort of as a wedding ring for you humans I guess while both of us are alive. Back in the old days though, since so many of my kind outlived their mates by such long time periods, the glove served as a true reminder of our mates." Thomas finished.

"A glove constructed under the light of the moon serving the same purpose as wedding ring, it sounds romantic." Sarah smiled partially wishing that it would be her that would be making this glove under the moon with Thomas. Although Thomas had explained the situation to her and she had been disappointed to hear the news, she still accepted and it even though she found herself wishing the honor of being Thomas's mate was hers.

"Romance has nothing to do with in by my kind. Like I told you, we place great value in the moon." Thomas stated as he started to eat his meal. Just as Thomas was going to take another bite, he hunched over just a bit in pain, his eyes once again closed tightly. A few seconds passed before his breathing, although still heavy was slowly returning to normal.

'_Are you okay?'_ Rebecca demanded moving over his side.

"My ribs are starting to piece themselves back together properly. Every once in a while, a bit of muscle something sometimes get caught in between the shifting bones though." Thomas replied as he leaned back against he rock that had his things on it. "It's nothing to worry, just a sign that my body is repairing itself, although a rather painful sign however."

"You really should have told the doctor a bit more." Sarah stated. She still couldn't believe how much Thomas had held back when he was there though. "Seriously, two possible cracked ribs is not something to just ignore."

"Trust me when I say my ribs are not my concern. I'm more concerned about the bullet that hit my heart since that is one of a few organs that my body can't repair so easily." Thomas countered. "Besides, living as long as I have, it's not like I haven't had injuries like this before. For that matter, I nearly lost an arm and leg back around the mid fifteen hundreds, in that war between Kanto and Johto. Let's just change topics though."

"What?!" Sarah blurted out nearly dropping her plate. "You were in a war?"

"I told you I had seen many wars. The Kanto Johto war over ownership rights of the Indigo Plateau was just one of them. Ho-oh almost got caught in the middle of it." Thomas stated. "If it wasn't for me, then she would have been captured by the old Johto government and it's quiet possible a large chuck of Kanto would be marked as the Johto territory. But like I've told you before, I'd rather not talk about those times, I was forced to some rather awful things back then, but then again, war doesn't leave much for those without sides just trying to pass through." Thomas's lowered his head a bit trying to push back some unwanted memories.

'_So, what does the number twenty-seven mean to you?' _Rebecca hesitated for a bit before she returned to the their previous topic without any other conversation ideas, but she still worried about her mate. After looking into his aura though, she could see for the most part that he was fine aside from the pain. She could clearly see that Sarah was just as worried about him as she was herself though.

"Twenty-seven, the day of the individual. This is the first day when one of our clan truly considered ourselves as our own person, free to live completely as we chose without the influence of past lives leading the way. By this time, many of our previous habits and traits that were passed down from our previous lives are mostly down to nothing more then subconscious thoughts by now. They may be present but they don't have enough of a say anymore to really affect us, but some strong feelings, like deep fears, take Radara's claustrophobia for example, still hold firm grips. Depending on how bad the case was and any events that could further those feelings though, they could very well pass on through a number of incarnations." Thomas explained. He suddenly stopped talking though giving an odd look around the edge of the camp. He gave a few sniffs to the air, his face shifting from signs of pain to concern. "Rebecca, you have much better sense of smell then I do. What do you smell?" Thomas looked directly at her and she could tell that something was wrong. Even Radara had stuck her head out of the tent.

Rebecca copied Thomas's previous actions taking a good long sniff in the air. _'I can smell something sweet, sort of like an Iapapa Berry bush that's in bloom, but there isn't that sort of luring aroma to it.'_ Rebecca stated.

'_Thomas, you don't think?'_ Radara asked.

"Sarah, Rebecca, start packing up and make it fast. If that's what I think it is, we're in serious trouble." Thomas quickly finished what little was on his plate before quickly setting down in the bucket that Sarah had strained the water from the spaghetti in.

"Thomas, what's going?" Sarah asked worried that something was going to happen.

"Let's just say that while I have made some friends over the centuries, I've been the victim of a few major misunderstandings and have made a few enemies." Thomas stating retrieving his blade as his eyes kept moving around the edge of the campsite. "Radara, do you sense anything?"

'_I sense something, but I can't tell what it is. They still appear to be using those head pieces of theirs.' _Radara informed him as she shook her head knowing that whatever was out there could be watching.

"Of course they are. They spent over a hundred years perfecting them so we couldn't track their thoughts." Thomas replied.

"Thomas? Whose this _they_ you're referring too?" Sarah asked as she began dismantling the tents.

"No, worry about the tents last, they are one of the more expendable items we have." Thomas stated. "As for this _they_ I spoke of, they're a bunch of misguided religious knights. I thought I lost them faking a death about 30 years ago, I guess they didn't believe my father's trick." Thomas stated as the smell grew a bit stronger. "And it smells like they aren't going to take any chances. Radara, get ready to teleport yourself and everyone else away from here. It's just me they are after."

"Wait, no! I'm not leaving without you." Sarah objected.

'_No!' _Rebecca added. _'I'm not letting to take on any fight's wounded like you are.'_

"This is no fight, it's practice at this point. I can already feel my mind recalling my old skills." Thomas stated as his mind started to pick a simple defensive sword style, one of his oldest and trusted styles for that matter. "I know what I'm doing."

'_Thomas, I'm afraid that I can't let you fight this alone. Your body has finished changing yet, so you are still very vulnerable to poisons. And given your current state, you could still be considered handicapped right now.'_ Radara stated. _'Either I teleport us all away from this camp with just the essentials or we all stay.'_

"We don't…" Thomas quickly went quiet as he turned to face a slight rustling in the bushes towards the south end of the camp. Much to the group's surprise a small Riolu walked into the camp.

It quickly urged the group to follow it lacking its evolved form's ability of telepathic communication. Thomas and Radara both gave each other very confused looks before they both nodded their heads. "Come on, leave everything but what you already have packed up. We can replace the tents, cooking gear, and other odds and ends." Thomas stated already grabbing his pack before returning Rebecca to her Pokeball.

"Thomas, slow down." Sarah stated after grabbing her bag looking back over the camp at the little stuff she was leaving behind while Thomas was already starting to follow the Riolu. Forced to just abandon the camp or risk losing Thomas, Sarah hurried after him. Sarah knew that they were moving away from the road moving deeper into the forest. Finally, the group stopped in a small clearing near the river. The Riolu took a seat in the grass and Thomas and Radara soon copied its action leaving Sarah standing. After a few minutes of waiting there, they saw a large yacht slowly pull up to the beach a small distance off. The Riolu once again got up to move and everyone prepared to follow it again. With the boat in the view of the group, Thomas knew that it was where the Riolu was leading them. "Come on, let's hurry up. They're no doubt trying to follow us." Thomas stated as he reached down to pick the Riolu and placed it on his shoulders before he doubled his pace with Radara and Sarah following right behind him. Using his sword, he cleared away any larger bits of underbrush that got in their way before they finally hit the coast and they could finally make out the two people on the boat. It was a nice fairly big speedboat that looked though it had been through a bit. It also looked like that it could hold them all and plus a few more if need be.

"Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to climb aboard Jackson." The old man looking in his sixties on the boat shouted as the woman, nearly half his age of the man drew a rifle and took aim into the forest behind them. "Macy, put that gun down, we don't want the attention."

"The name is Thomas now Felix." Thomas shouted as he moved up towards the coastline. "Radara, care to give us a lift?" Radara's eye gave off their usual psychic glow before the group found them standing on the back end of the boat.

"Sorry about not coming in person, but every since my so-called knighthood was revoked, they've considered me one of your followers." The man stated. Despite his graying hair and new look of worn jeans, t-shirt and fishing hat, Thomas still recognized his face. "Anyway, this is my daughter, Macy. I don't think you've met her." Pointing up this his daughter who, while wearing similar pants, had a bikini top and bandana. The fact that she was still holding the rifle and the angry look on her face took away any innocent looks she held however.

"I can't really say that I'm glad to meet you." Thomas replied. "Every time we meet, trouble seems to follow you around."

"Macy, take us down to Vermillion." Felix shouted up to his daughter. "And I thought I told to put that gun down. I still adjust sight on it and we need to replace the barrel." Felix stated this time with a bit of anger in his voice.

With a bit of hesitation as though she were just waiting for someone to charge out of the forest after Thomas, she finally set the gun down and started the engine.

"Thomas, just who is this. I thought you didn't like the help of others." Sarah asked.

"This is a case of we are both hunted by the same group, not exactly an ally lending a hand." Thomas stated as he set the Riolu down reaching for Rebecca's Pokeball. He quickly released her and she began to look around. "About thirty years ago, Felix here had managed to defeat my father in melee combat. He had my father pinned down, his blade already covered in poison, ready to make the final strike, but he just couldn't."

"After seeing you save those pokemon, I had doubts about what I was doing." Felix stated.

"Seeing the doubt he had, my father started a conversation with him, managed to convince him to lower his sword and then took the chance to make a break for it." Thomas added.

"It was shortly after that, that they called me one of his followers and they even went to so far as to pass the blame to my wife and daughter. Me and Macy quickly managed to get, but they got to my wife shortly after calling us traitors. They burned her as a heretic, bunch of sadistic bastards. We've been on the run ever since." Felix stated sadly.

Thomas looks back over watching Rebecca play with the riolu. Once again, a strange vision enters his mind as he once again sees an older version of Rebecca playing with an infant riolu, but rather then the usual dreadlocks; this one has small tuffs of hair. The child smiles as it turns to face Thomas with a smile before speaking to him. "Hi daddy." Thomas's mind quickly fills with confusion and a bit of panic. Radara quickly senses this and looking into the Thomas's mind, sees the sight before him. Before she could even begin to make any guesses to what was going on though, the riolu turned to her with the same smiled. "Hi Auntie Radara." Both quickly return the real world as the boat continues down the coast. Once again, Rebecca is playing with Felix's riolu while Felix and Macy are talking with each other as well. Sensing Thomas's doubt and confusion though, Rebecca looks over to him. _'Thomas? Are you okay?'_ She asks as she slowly walks over to him.

Thomas quickly begins to relax as he realizes that he was just once again seeing things. "I'm fine Rebecca. It's nothing."

'_Are you sure?'_ Rebecca asked still seeing a bit of confusion in Thomas's aura.

"It's nothing, just some new memories trying to surface." Thomas added to help reassure her. He knew that until he could truly tell what was going on, there would be no need to worry her.

"Good luck trying to hide anything from them Lucario and their youngens. I've tried with that one, but they can sense just about anything, even when you try to hide it." Felix states pointing to his riolu. Knowing that Felix is pointing at him, the riolu sticks his tongue out at Felix.

"Dad stop teasing him like that he's just going to do more mischief." The riolu barks happily at this knowing that Macy always takes his side.

"That's because you spoil him Macy." Felix counters as the riolu runs up to join Macy by the wheel.

"Well, if you're here, then that must mean something is up." Thomas stated taking a seat on the edge of the boat. He quickly reached over towards a nearby lamp and turned it with the sun already falling over the horizon.

"The knights are under new leadership, a man who the others have been calling Ignis. They've been under his command for the better part of 18 years now and I've never seen em deploy as they have before. They've been sending out fewer knights for jobs and their success rate seems to be going up. They've also gotten much faster. Just a few weeks ago, Team Rocket tried to set up a trap for one of the three legendary birds who reside on the Orange Islands. I heard they were taken out before the trap was even finished. Hell, for that matter, they been on your tail for all of three days Jackson and I just heard this morning that they contacted your foster family late yesterday afternoon." Felix stated.

"Wait? It took them two days to track down my connection to the Falston's?" Thomas asked. "Any ideas what's going on with that?"

"Well they talked to your adopted mother and I guess her father. It seems that there was a falling out between both you and her father. Also something that you had made threats against him. Something of that manner anyway. Don't worry I got an old friend who will keep me apprise about anything that becomes of this from the police force. If anything comes up, I'll let ya know, Jackson." Felix stated.

"It's Thomas, Felix. My name is Thomas." Thomas informs Felix again.

Felix looks at Thomas for a second before smiling. "Yeah, whatever Jackson"

"You never going to call me by my new name, are you?" Thomas shakes his head and laughs

Felix laughs a bit himself as he strikes a match to light his cigarette. "Why should I boy. I have known you as Jackson since the first time we crossed swords. Just because you change your name and body doesn't mean your not Jackson to me. Like you told me in your past incarnation, you take all those memories of your last life and use them for your recent incarnation. So thus you are Jackson."

'_He has point there, Thomas.' _Radara adds in.

Thomas just drops his head a bit deciding that it would just be best to let it stand. After all, he was the guest in the current situation and Felix could very well have information that he could use. Thinking about it as he was, he realized that Felix had always been as stubborn as a Tauros once he made his mind about something.

"Anyway, I'm guessing that you've changed up your team a bit. That's a nice looking Lucario you have, a real powerhouse I assume. I'm guessing you still have that ninetales of yours as well." Felix asked.

"Yea, I still got Juno. But you know how she is on small boats like this one. Cruise liners are fine, but little private vessels and her don't mix well." Thomas stated.

"That's a good thing, you'll probably be needing all the help you can get. Anyway, it's getting late. I have a lot to talk with you about and I'd rather that we all be awake for the entire conversation." Felix took at the sky with the stars already starting to shine. "I've got spare bunks downstairs, but not enough for everyone to be let out. I know you like letting your pokemon out at night, but I wouldn't suggest letting anymore out. It will still take a while to reach Vermilion, so the lot of you might as well go get some sleep. I've got a reservation set up for us at a nice hotel there who happen to be able to guarantee our privacy."

"I guess we'll talk more about this over there then." Thomas stated as he headed for the door that led to the lower levels of the boat. "Rebecca, just make sure you come down before it gets too late. I know you're going to want to stay up here for a while." Rebecca just nodded to Thomas smiling. She always did enjoy looking at the stars for a while.

Radara followed Thomas as they quickly found one of the extra bedrooms on the ship and after making sure that no one was around, they locked the door and took a seat on the bunk. "Okay, while the knights prove a be decent threat, we've got bigger issues. Those were not my thoughts and this is the second time that we've both see images like that. What the hell is going on?" Thomas demanded.

'_And what makes you think that I know anything about it.'_ Radara asked.

"I recall some instances in the past where you projected some very vivid images into ones mind before. What kind of power would be needed though to project an image like that?" Thomas asked.

'_Far more then I have. Even though just like all the other immortals, we are slowly regaining the complete sum of our abilities, that would have been beyond my full power in the first place unless I was in close range and given our current moving location, I doubt I'd be able to pull it off without being on the boat anyway.'_ Radara explained with a bit or worry in her voice. _'All I know is that someone out there is targeting us directly. That last image we saw tried to interact with both of us.'_

"And we both know that can't happen. That's the one thing I can never give Rebecca. I can only be the father to a single child in any one of my incarnations and there is a very limited time span in which that can be done." Thomas stated. Just as he stated that fact, the full impact of that truth suddenly dawned on him as well as a number of other instances where he to explain the same thing to many of his past mates and how bad some of them took it. "Oh man, how I am going to explain that one to her?"

'_Thomas, that fact has been true for generations. I hate to sound disrespectful about it. But we have bigger issues to deal with.'_ Radara stated. _'When I looked into you mind, I could have sworn there was more to that image, but we just couldn't see it. As with all psychics, when we project something, we always leave the slightest trace of ourselves imprinted on that image. Many don't notice it because they don't look for it and even when they do, it can sometimes be exceptionally hard to find depending on strong the projector it. For something to show us both an image of that level of detail and not only just show, but have it attempt to interact with us means that whatever is out there is no doubt far stronger then either of u when it comes to manipulation of the minds.'_

"I know that, but why is it doing this?" Thomas asked. "Something out there knows what I want most of all right now, to just lead a normal life for once, to raise a family in peace."

'_That is something that you cannot have. Just like every other living thing on this world, there are certain rule that we are doomed to follow alone, rules that affect our kind and our kind alone.'_ Radara stated.

"Which brings us back to why I still say this kind of existence is a curse." Thomas hung his head down just a bit. As he continued to think about all the past lives that he had lived, select ones, ones where he had almost led a normal life began to reemerge in his mind. Thomas grabbed his head the pain caused from waking memories slowly took over. Just as each life appeared though, the sole reason he had been denied the life he desired most right now also surfaced. One of his immortal kind would always require his help tearing him away from his life. Strangely though, only these select memories came back, as though they were picked out slow enough for him relive each one, and Thomas realized something. Trying to push everything out of his mind, a soft laugh could be heard over everything else that going on. Quickly grabbing onto his sword, he slammed the hilt onto his foot.

'_Thomas?!? Are you mad?'_ Radara asked in shock.

"Quite the opposite. Something was picking out select memories and forcing me to watch them." Thomas stated as he checked his foot. "We both know that in cases like, the act of recalling old memories can only be interrupted by an outside source. I'm beginning to think that someone is hoping that I'll turn my back on the others."

'_Of course, any strong enough jolt to the senses can interrupt the process.'_ Radara looked up at him with a slightly puzzled look though. _'But, if you intentionally interrupted them, then you must have had a reason for it.'_

"After pushing as much of it as I could out the way, I could a small laugh in the background, that imprint as you put it." Thomas explained. "I don't know what's going on, but next time we meet up with the knights, we need to steal one of their headsets to help me hide myself from this thing. Whatever it is, I doubt that it has good intentions."

'_I agree with you there. Let's get some sleep though. We can begin teaching you to block out intrusive psychics again in the morning. Hopefully this works out better then it with your father.'_ Radara stated.

"I'm going to need the sleep, no doubt about that." Reach into his bag, Thomas pulled something to help with his headache before he unlocked the door and then laid down. "I'm guessing that you're going to go up and find a quiet place to think for a while."

'_That would be a correct assumption.'_ Radara stated as she opened the door with her mind before walking out of the room.

"Make sure Rebecca knows which bunk I'm using before you go to sleep please. No need to make her wander all over to try and find me." Thomas added as he turned onto his side.

'_I shall see you in the morning. I have this feeling that we are going to have a long day.'_ Radara took a final look at Thomas for the night.

"Between my next two steps in training and our talk with Felix, I'm guessing your right." And with that Thomas ended the conversation trying to get himself to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'_Character Thought'_

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

Sorry for the delay, massive writer's block and family issues.

xXx

Chapter 10

Thomas awoke the next morning, although not in the way he had hoped to wake up. He was resting peacefully one second, the next second however; the bunk he had been laying on had partially collapsed as he started to roll over. Luckily, Rebecca had managed to stay on the bunk and although Thomas saw that she did stir a bit, but she managed to stay asleep. Seeing that he was now up, although with a headache, he took a look around the room quickly locating the missing pin that had caused the bed to collapse in the first place. After slowly and gently returning the bed back to its upright position and returning the pin into the collapsing leg, Thomas rubbed his head as he headed for the upper decks on the boat.

Taking a look around to see just where he was now, Thomas found that the boat was resting in the local marina at Vermilion City. He could also see Felix, Macy, and their riolu walking down the dock towards the boat with each of the carrying a small bag. "Check those collapsing bunks of yours more often, the one I was using fell apart on me."

"Sorry bout that, I didn't think the boat was in that kind of condition yet." Felix stated as he walked up to the plank leading up to the boat. "In any case, you should get your friend up and get breakfast. We've got a lot to discuss and only a few days to do it in. The knights will be on to us soon enough and I would rather be ghost by the time that they get here."

"Speaking of our talk, where is this place that you said can guarantee our privacy?" Thomas asked as he took a bag to allow Felix to climb aboard.

"That new hotel, the Endless Ocean. I've got a few documents to show you as well which they are holding em for me." Felix replied.

"That one is new, when did it open?" Thomas asked as he helped bring the bags down to the kitchen on the ship.

"Just about a year ago actually. Although a private group owns the title, Team Rocket has nice deal going on under the table." Macy explained. "As long as the place continues to act as a resort for there higher ups offering them some very unique services, Rocket guarantees the place always has good business and won't go bankrupt."

"So that's how they could guarantee our privacy. How much did it cost?" Thomas asked.

"Not as much as you think." Felix stated. "Anyway, we'll be expected in about an hour. Macy here will keep your friend busy while we can have our talk in private."

"Very well then." Thomas stated as he rubbed his eyes.

"You okay their Jackson?" Macy asked.

"It's just really bright out here, I think I might be going through my next change soon." Thomas explained.

"Change?" Felix asked.

"Surely you remember my father's eyes, the red trimmed blue eyes that you said pierced your soul the first time you had a good look into them." Thomas stated.

"You mean you don't have them?" Felix asked.

"Not yet. I thought I explained that part to you. Unlike pokemon, my so-called evolution takes part one piece at a time over an eleven-year period as I regain my abilities. The odd part is that I think it's a bit early for this to happen, my eyes don't normally change until a month and a half after my eighteenth birthday." Thomas explained.

"Well, I can't be sure of anything regarding that, just keep those eyes of your hidden away, those red ones give me the creeps." Felix stated.

"I'll need to pick up a set of sunglasses then. While they are changing, I won't be able to hide them like my father did." Thomas informed him. "I'll go get Sarah up now and we can have breakfast before our talk."

xXx

After a quick breakfast, Thomas walked over with Felix to the Endless Ocean with Radara at his side and Juno in her Pokeball stashed away hidden from view in case things took a turn for the worse. This left Sarah and Macy to explore the city in the meantime along with their pokemon and the rest of Thomas's as well. Deciding that since the entire group of pokemon could all use some time to relax and stretch, Sarah and Macy made their way to the local park near the edge of the city. The two of them talked for a while their pokemon all took advantage of the time they had and got some exercise. After a few hours though, Sarah and Macy called them back, the group of pokemon and they were off to go through the town.

Compared to how tense Macy was when Sarah first met her, Macy seemed to be quiet relaxed now, a smile on her face as she enjoyed the sunlight. The two of them wandered around town walking into a few shops here and there, mostly just browsing the various goods knowing that they had the day to themselves while Thomas talked with Felix. The two talked about several things before the topic finally turned to Thomas. "I can't really help but notice, but you seem to have an interest in Jackson? How did you come to know him?" Macy asked as they stopped by a café.

"I never knew Jackson, just Thomas. We've been friends since we were six and his foster parents moved to the estate next to my family north of Rustboro. They were new to the neighborhood and so my mother thought we should welcome them over for dinner one day." Sarah explained before ordering an iced coffee. "When I finally found out that Thomas was adopted and asked about his parents, I was told that his father had been staying with the Falston's renting a spare room they had in their old place cause the house he had been at had burned down. He didn't have much with him, just Thomas, his two pokemon, and small bag that he had with him that day. Unfortunately, something happened and his father died in his sleep one night shortly after being invited to stay with the Falston's. Mr. and Mrs. Falston always told me they never heard anything about the mother and no one made any attempts to find Thomas, so they could only assume the worst."

"I see." Macy replied as their drinks came up and two of them left the café to wonder around. "Well, it's obvious that you like him, but I have to ask, just how much do you like him?"

Sarah blushed a bit. "Well, I guess I've always had a crush on him. I mean, I've traveled a lot, and a lot of guys have asked me out these last two years, but none of them were like Thomas." Sarah replied. "There's just something about him that draws me to him. He's always eager to help others, especially pokemon. I hate to say this, but the way he treats pokemon as equals, that just not a trait you see often enough these days. I mean sure, many trainers and coordinators are good friends with their pokemon, but Thomas treats them as true equals. But I guess that all makes sense now that I know what he is. What about you? What was Thomas's father like? Did you know him well?" Sarah asked.

"I met Jackson a few times, but mostly I've just heard what my father told me about him." Macy explained. "The last time I saw him was roughly twenty years ago, before he just vanished. Even the knights lost his trail entirely, if only the same was true of me and my father."

"Just who are these knights anyway? Thomas didn't tell me much. There's just so many mysterious things about him, so many questions. Like why these knights are trying to hunt him down." Sarah asked.

"Well, there are several stories about the knights, many of which are stories of some of their famous victories turned into fairy tales. Few know of how the knights were really formed or why though." Macy stated stopped to look in the window of a small odds and ends shop. Macy stood there looking in the window for a few seconds before moving again.

"So, tell me. What are the Knights of Arceus really?" Sarah asked.

"Well, that's a long story. According to my father, their true purpose was to hunt down anything that threatened Arceus and the legendary pokemon, what the knights referred to as its chosen children." Macy explained as they walked into the city's central park. Both of them were hot from walking around all day and the shaded bench they had come across was a welcome relief from the heat. "The group known as the knights of Arceus were first started though after something, a human with powerful abilities matching those of pokemon, tried to sell out Arceus to some great evil. A small war was started and the knights took upon themselves to help protect Arceus."

"Wait, I thought that it's Thomas's job to protect her and the legendary pokemon. Thomas told me his brothers and sister were tasked with that job." Sarah interrupted.

"Her?" Macy looked up confused.

"Yea, didn't you know that Arceus was a female?" Sarah asked.

"No, the knights always thought that he was male, the king of all pokemon." Macy stated. "Anyway, this war lasted a few weeks in secret, and everyone involved in saving Arceus made it a point kept quiet to most of the world. Not much is known about it, my father wasn't told about the events in detail, only small things that he passed onto me. I'd guess that you would have to ask Jackson about himself to find out what really happened."

Sarah just looked Macy realizing how much she was just like that took things for what they were around her. She just realized how small her world was compare to what Thomas had lived, or in a sense many lives he has lived. Just a few days ago she met Arceus the actual god Arceus. She was nothing like the tales told of her. When she did go to church, so much she was told of was so wrong.

She guessed that atheist friend she had was right when he told her that people tend to interpret things in the way they want to hear it. So most of what is written is by mans words not actually Arceus's.

"Sarah are you ok? You seem to be spacing out on me," she says jokingly.

"Sorry I was thinking about things now. I never realized how small the world really is. It's just being with Thomas the last few days has made me think about stuff I have taken for granted."

"I know what you mean. It's like he seems to bring things out that you really don't think about. I do notice though how you look at him though, on the boat as if you want him. You do realize he is available." Macy says teasingly as Sarah looks away blushing. The two keep talking for a bit as they continue to wander around, but Sarah notices that Macy has tensed up again.

"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked as Macy leads them into a small odds and ends shop.

"We're being followed." Macy quietly whispers as they quickly duck into a small empty spot between shelves. Looking through a very small spot between the shelves, Macy watches as a couple walks in and points them out to Sarah. "Those two have been following us for nearly an hour now, every time we stopped to look at something, they find an excuse to stop as well."

"Your sure they're following us?" Sarah asked as Macy pushed her back further into their hiding spot s the couple in question begin to look around, but not at the goods in the shop. Waiting for a few when both of their backs were turned, Macy quickly headed back for the door and walked out with Sarah right behind her. As soon as they were out of the view of the store windows, she quickly broke into a run walking into a small diner and taking a seat far in the back in the perfect spot to look out but not be seen. Shortly after they sat down, the couple from the store they just walked out of came running out looking around.

"Yes, I'm sure." Macy stated with disgust. "How did they find us already?" A few minutes later, a waitress came up to take their order. Knowing that they needed to waste some time, make sure that their unwanted guests were gone, Macy asked for a pair of menus and then took her time looking over it. Sarah was quick to make a selection, but Macy kept looking over the menu even after making her decision, she continuously looked back up at the windows before placing her order.

Once the waitress had left to go hand their order over to the chef, Sarah looked at Macy a bit concerned. "Macy, who were those two?" She asked.

"They were a pair of trackers, the blood hounds for the knights." Macy explained quietly. "Someone must have tipped them off we were here, I recall seeing a tattoo on the lady's neck early this morning just after we got into the park." She stated. "I can't believe I let my guard down." She sighed a bit. Pulling out her phone, she sent a text message to Felix alerting him to the danger.

Felix was quick to respond and Thomas had a message for Sarah as well to follow Macy's orders. They would meet up later tonight, although it was a safe bet that their boat was being guarded.

It didn't take long for their food to arrive and Sarah and Macy ate their meals slowly, Macy exchanging a few more texts with her father and passing small messages onto Sarah. Macy grunted a bit again and Sarah went to turn around only to have Macy stop her. "They don't give up." She stated as she took a sip from her drink moving over into the corner of the booth to hide herself. Just as they finished their meal though, the couple walked in and looked around, Macy could see a small smile on their face through the corner of her eye, but still acted like she didn't see them. "Excuse me miss." Macy quietly called the waitress over to them.

"Yes, do you need something?" She asked.

"You see that couple that just walked in. Could you keep them busy while me and friend try to get out, that guy is my ex-boyfriend and he's been following us all day. I tried to tell him to go away, but him and his new girl friend won't leave us alone." Macy stated.

The waitress looked over and saw how the couple was constantly looking over at Macy and Sarah and smiled. "Yea, I know how that works." She laughed a bit. "My last boy friend was like that too. We have an extra door by the bathrooms if you want to head out that way to the back parking lot. It's enclosed for the most part, but we got cameras up if he does try notice and tries anything." She smiled as Macy paid her bill and she went over to take the orders of the couple. While taking their orders, Macy quietly slipped out with Sarah over to the bathroom and out the extra door. They quickly ran out the back parking lot and onto the main street again.

Just as they reached the end of the drive, the saw the women walk out after them and make a call as she ran after them. She knew she had been spotted now and it was race to catch them. Macy smiled as she ran though. "Sarah, this way." Macy called out running into a large crowd that was entering a department store. The woman who was following them tried to catch up, but Macy and Sarah easily blended into the crowd and walked through the crowds easily lost their tracker. Macy still seemed more tense then ever though as she walked. Macy was quickly dragging Sarah through the store heading for the other end of the store to get out. Luckily, it was a thick crowd today. It easily reminded her of how Thomas just walked through crowds like they were nothing, although Macy was a bit slower then Thomas was and if not for Macy's hand carrying her through the crowd, Sarah knew that she would have gotten lost. It didn't take long though for them to reach the other end of the store though. The rest of the day was spent constantly looking over their shoulders and on the watch for anyone following them.

Although Sarah was fairly confident that they had lost their shadows for the day, Macy seemed to think otherwise and suddenly, almost everyone around them was a potential knight in disguise. Deciding to check up on the boat, Macy pulled out a set of binoculars while they took a break from walking around inside a small cafe on the edge of the marina. "Damn." Macy quietly muttered under her breath.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"They found the boat and are tearing it up." Macy replied. "Those bastards even have my rifle." Macy stated obviously annoyed. "At least we got everything of real value with us." Macy sighed. Macy and Sarah kept watch in their spot. The sun was slowly starting to set by now and Thomas and Felix hadn't sent a message in a while which was starting to worry Sarah. Team's Aqua and Magma had been known to be trouble makers and she had her fair share of run ins with them in the Hoenn region, but these Knights, they were worse, much worse. Just as Sarah turned around though, she noticed that the same lady who had been chasing them that morning was back, but she now had four other guys with her. Walking over, she smiled at them and took a seat between them. "You really didn't think you could get away did you?" She asked. "Now where's that traitorous father of yours?" She asked.

Macy turned slowly and look at the lady, her face full of anger. "Like I'd tell a bitch like you, Claire." Macy snapped at her and the lady slapped Macy across the face.

"That's no way to treat a knight." Claire responded. "Now, you can tell me where your father is and come with us willing, or we can do this the hard way and make you come with us." As if on cue, the four men behind her all lifted their shirts up and revealed their Pokeballs as well as a set of knives as well as a gun under their shirts. Sarah looked up at them with a bit of fright in her eyes.

"You wouldn't attack right out in the open." Sarah stated.

"We do whatever it takes to protect Arceus from threats like you." Claire countered. "It's our very reason to exist, to protect the god from threats like you who would help that monster of thing who poses as a human. That thing that seems to have you wrapped around his finger. I'll tell you right it, that boy you seem to think so highly of is only going to use you and this girl right here is one of his servants." Claire explained. "Come with us and we can help free you from whatever he's done to you, you just need to tell us where he is." The lady stated holding her hand out.

"I know Thomas, he's no monster." Sarah countered.

"Surely you must have noticed certain things about him." Claire stated.

"If you mean the fact that's he's not human, then I already know. Arceus herself even asked me to travel with him." Sarah stated.

"Arceus?" One of the men behind her asked. "That might be how he continues to brainwash them, with a false set up of being asked by Arceus, we know that he possesses some powerful psychic abilities."

"That could be true." Claire stated. "The more willing one is to open their mind to him, the more easily influenced they are." Claire sighed a bit. "She may be too far gone." Claire whispered into the man's ear and he just nodded.

"Your the ones who are crazy." Macy shouted as someone just walked into the cafe. "You threaten us with guns and knives and tell us to give you our pokemon just because we kicked your ass a few times, so you pull some muscle and try to force us to surrender." Claire just looked up at her in confusion as another lady walked up to the table dressing in a police uniform.

"Excuse, but what seems to be the problem here." Officer Jenny asked as she walked up.

"These fools work for Team Rocket and are threatening us for our pokemon just because we beat a number of their lackeys yesterday on our way here." Macy shouted grabbing the shirt of one of the guys, his gun and knives in clear view of Officer Jenny. She quickly drew her gun and pointed it at the guy. "Sir, put your hands up now." Jenny demanded, Macy's plan had worked. One of the other guys quickly grabbed Jenny from behind while Macy flipped the table they were at. One of the men called out his pokemon, a Typhlosion and no sooner then that, the cafe had become a battleground. Several other trainers immediately called out their pokemon having heard that Team Rocket was in the cafe looking to steal pokemon and it escalated from there. In the confusion, Macy grabbed Sarah and dragged her out of the building. "Officer, Team Rocket is in there trying to steal everyone's pokemon." Macy called out as another officer pulled up. Hearing her cry, the officer also called out his pokemon and drew his weapon charging into the cafe as Macy and Sarah ran down the street.

It was a quick get away, but not the best though. The knights had found them and nearly caught them and Sarah couldn't understand why. All she knew was that she had gotten herself caught up in the middle. After running down a few alleyways and never staying on the same street for long, Macy finally turned around to make sure that they weren't being followed. To be tracked by one of the knight's bloodhounds was a serious thing, the fact that they had even assigned one a tracker made that target a serious threat, only behind Thomas himself. Continuing to move around seemingly at random, Macy had pulled out her phone and contacted Felix and Thomas, both happy to her that they were safe. With their boat and most of their supplies now in the knight's possession, it was going to be a rough few days. Macy and Sarah then made their way to the Endless Ocean hotel to meet up with Thomas and Felix.

Thomas was waiting outside as they walked up. Sarah quickly ran over to him. "Sarah, are you okay?" Thomas asked.

"Thomas, who are these knights?" She quickly demanded as Macy walked past them to head inside. Thomas and Sarah followed after her after Thomas told here that conversation was best left for when they were alone. The building was huge and Thomas could easily make out a few of the older faces, namely one who had caused him some real trouble back in his previous incarnation, but there was nothing that he could do about it now. Being the hunted, he had no choice then to lay low right now. Thomas led Sarah up to one of the hotel rooms and after looking the door he took a seat on the bed Radara at his side. "Thomas, tell me."

"Sarah, I'm sorry you got caught up in this." Thomas stated taking a seat on the bed. "I never could have known the knights would have found me so quickly or I would have ditched you even against my mother's will." He sighed. "The knights were formed around what my kind, the immortals refer to as the Days of the Traitor. About 650 years ago, there were no Knights of Arceus, humans and pokemon were enjoying a very rare and unique calm, a peace between all. There were no wars, no plagues, crops were being harvested in abundance." Thomas looked down and nodded at Radara, her gem lighting up giving off a powerful glow to share some images with Sarah.

The first image that Radara decided to show Sarah was of an old temple of ancient Johto design. Several pokemon and humans, or at least what appeared to be humans at first glance until she saw a much different version of Thomas dressing in ceremonial robes walking with a number of others. "Back in those days, the world was near perfect, this calm had already lasted for several years, humans and pokemon were living together in peace, helping each other. My brothers and sisters, the watchers were welcomed were ever we went, many even came to see in us person. For a Watcher to visit a land was considered one of the highest blessings as it was well known that we were the children of Arceus." Thomas's voice stated as an image of his current day self appeared next to Sarah. "This was the Temple of Gali, a place built in honor of my elder sister, who was ahead of me by 3 years." Thomas pointed out to a lady in a very long robe obviously of far better cloth then every else around her. Thomas smiled as he pointed her out. "She was unique to say the least, where I am part electric type, she was a dragon in every sense of the word. The emperor of the Westfall province built her this temple in honor of freeing his only daughter from a cave in when she was visiting Gali while she was harvesting a rare, sadly now also extinct type of herb." Thomas explained. Sarah looked around as the seen changed to late one evening at the temple. "While the emperor had built and named this Temple for Gali, it was also a place for all the watchers to come and relax, to be honored for their work. There was one of us though that began to see things different." Thomas pointed to a man in the back hidden in the shadows. "Tavu, the eldest and first watcher among us was never truly at peace. Even after the war of legend, which left the watchers looking over our immortal brothers and sisters, Tavu couldn't calm down. He was a fierce leader, but he couldn't accept peace. He was the one who personally finished the evil that started the war of legend many generations prior to what I'm showing you."

"Just what does this have to do with the knights though?" Sarah asked.

"Tavu was the one who betrayed us long ago. Something happened to him and he lashed out." The scene around them changed as the temple of Gali was engulfed in flames. Thomas walked through the frozen flames into the back and pointed to a figure in the back of the room, Arceus was there. "Arceus herself decided to pay us a visit that night. Tavu tried to kill our mother and for the first time ever, her life was truly in danger. The Emperor had heard of the attack and quickly sent a force his most powerful knights to help defend Arceus. Those warriors would later become the knights of Arceus. The battle lasted just a number of days, a private war was started within the watchers themselves. It took all sixteen of us who were at the temple then to stop him, but he managed to kill a few us that first night." Thomas stated as the seen shifted again. "Ravik, Daltha, Tira, they were among the first of my brothers and sisters who died at his hands, all three of them caught off guard, their partners forced to watch their dying breaths." Thomas explained, tears in his eyes as he recalled the events in perfect detail, each and every dying face, horror filled screamed, even the wound he received himself meant for his mother subconsciously rubbing his side where he had taken the wound.

"Thomas?" Sarah asked as she watched turn his head, his eyes almost empty.

"It took us four days to kill Tavu, a number of our kind died as well as a much larger number warriors belonging to the emperor died in that time." Thomas continued ignoring her question. "Those days were quickly known as the Days of the Traitor, and all of us suffered because of his actions. Rumors spread over night, our kind were just posing as the children of Arceus, we were just devils binding our time until we could get close. A bounty was declared in Johto and the knights were born, their purpose to ensure that such an event never happened again. The man headed to lead the knights already had a grudge against us, my younger brother Ronin had caught the attention of the same women that this knight wanted for his wife. We can't say for sure, but we think that lead this leader of the knights, Daniel, began to spread more rumors when 'his' woman tried to run off with Ronin." Thomas explained. The scene shifted again, but this time to the remaining watchers who were at the temple of Gali as they began a long trek to leave Johto. "All of us suffered greatly that day. I was busy securing travel out of Johto the night when the bounty was officially declared, I had foolishly left my wife and our small group of pokemon at the house alone while I was talking with an old friend about getting a ride on his boat out of the region to Sinnoh, a place that seemed reluctant to call the watchers devil children." The scene changed one last time, this time to a small log house. "I was only gone for a few hours, but when I came back, it was too late. The war on the watchers had been declared."

The scene changed again to inside the small house, a women had been brutally killed, her body covered in wounds and left naked in the dim light, the pokemon in the cabin all beaten as well, a glaceon just barely able to move in the corner. "Radara just barely survived, they didn't think too much of her in her wounded state, but my wife and our other pokemon weren't so lucky." Thomas stated.

"Wait, your wife?" Sarah asked looking around.

"That was the last time I ever took a mate for over five full generations, over 600 years of avoiding love, my heart still aches as I think about this." Thomas explained. "The knights later claimed open responsibility for attacking several watchers and their families in a matter of days all for their emperor and in protection of Arceus. Other wars broke out around where watchers were staying, the land was divided." Thomas explained. "In matter of months, the world had turned on the watchers, rumors of our kind being devils heard almost every where, whenever a war or plague broke out, our kind was blamed without hesitation." Thomas stated. "We all went into hiding, spreading our selves out rarely meeting back up with each other, instead keeping in touch with the legendaries to pass messages back and forth with each other, but the knights were always close by. One by one, they chased us down and killed us. Over the years, rumors of the devil children stopped spreading and the world was returning to normal, but not for the knights. They were always hunting us until I was the only one left. Those that harbored a watcher were considered heretics and most burned at the stake, executed for the crime of even talking with a devil." At last, the world returned to Sarah and Thomas was sitting on the bed, his face blank of all emotions, but even as such, Sarah knew how he was feeling.

"Thomas, I had no idea what all you've been through." Sarah stated taking a seat next to him.

"When you live forever, you tend to experience just about everything, sadly, that including being named the worse of all evils." Thomas stated. "As the last of my kind, it's been a rough existence, but one only my kind could live."

"Thomas, is there anything I can to do help?" Sarah asked knowing him long enough that recalling something like that had a serious effect on him.

"Just don't let the knights take you. If you want to travel me even after what all you've seen and now know about me, then be prepared. The life I lead was never easy." Thomas explained. "If you don't think you can take it, leave now and head back to your parents. When the knights meet up with you again, your either going be marked as savable and will have to forget everything you ever knew about me or they will say that you are too far gone, brainwashed by me and then version of mercy is a quick death."

Sarah thought it over, but she couldn't help it. Arceus, the god of all pokemon herself had asked her travel with Thomas, the boy she fell in love with even he was in love with another. Still, she had to stay with him. "Thomas, I'm not leaving you. You've been alone for far too long." She explained taking a seat next to him. "I'll stick by you for as long as I can." She smiled weakly trying to cheer him up.

Thomas smiled himself and looked at her. "I'm sorry for treating you so badly, my life was just never simple and I developed certain habits, doing my best never to get close to anyone, and never letting anyone get close to me." He sighed a bit. "I guess it is time for a change, but make sure your ready. Many of those traveling with me after the Days of the Traitor never know just how rough a life I lead. We'll get new gear in the morning and from there, we'll follow the coast east." Thomas explained.

"What about Felix and Macy." Sarah asked. "They'll be heading west, with their boat now under the knight's control, there's not much they can do. The police could be called in and fight over the boat would be started, but it's not worth the trouble of getting back the boat. Felix already informed me though that they have arrangements in place. They'll be fine as long as they make it out of the city."

Sarah was concerned, but decided to trust Thomas. "We'll have to be quick, but with Radara's influence, an early morning shopping trip should go undetected and we can get our gear back. I've traded my gold coins over to Felix for a fair sum of cash, it should be enough to get us new tents and basic supplies and hopefully, enough food to last a few days. We may have to keep our eyes peeled for berries though." Thomas smiled thinking back again. "It will be like the older days of traveling for me again."

Seeing that Thomas suddenly seemed to cheer up, if only a little bit was a good sign for Sarah. She could tell that he was still affected by what he had shown her, but maybe things weren't so bad. Thomas laid back on the bed, Radara on the end. "Come on, get some sleep, we'll need it." He stated nodding over to the other bed. Sarah took the bed and laid down looking at Thomas.

"Thomas, I'm really sorry for what the knights did to you." She said softly.

"That was a life long ago, but thank you." He smiled at her, a soft kindness in that smile that he so rarely showed her. "I'll wake you up in the morning." He stated and turned onto his side and with Radara's help, he easily fell asleep. Sarah was left to think about how vastly different her life was going to be, but she soon fell asleep as well.


	11. Chapter 11

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.  
Author Notes:  
- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.  
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks  
'_Character Thought'  
_(Pokemon speech)  
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.  
Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 11

Sarah awoke the next morning to find that Thomas was nowhere to be seen. She looked over to the clock and saw that it was still early, just a little after 7, but she knew that Thomas was always up sooner then that. Her first thoughts were that Thomas had ditched her again, until she noticed a small flick of a white tail at the foot of her bed and looked down to see Juno lying there. Taking another look around, she found a small note form Thomas explaining that he had gone out to get some of their supplies and would be back later. He also explained in the note that she had to be ready to go as soon as she could. After reading the note and seeing that he had left Juno with her, she knew now that he had accepted her company, there were no more doubts in her mind about it. She walked over and took her shower changing into the only set of clothes she had left for now. It didn't take her long to finish packing her things and getting ready, not having much left after the events of yesterday when the knights raided the boat. Juno was up by now as well and Sarah petted her while she waited. At last, a little after nine, Sarah heard some sounds at the door and Juno quickly took an aggressive stance ready to defend Sarah if it wasn't Thomas.

The door opened slowly and Thomas stood there waiting to make sure that Juno knew it was him before walking in. "Sarah, are you ready?" Thomas asked was he walked in with Rebecca and Razor by his side, all three of them carrying some bags. Radara was also with them, but with her lack of hands, she wasn't holding anything. Thomas laid out the gear on the beds and showed Sarah everything he had picked up. Two new hiking backs and good ones at that with canteen and phone clips, a full assortment of pockets, and lightweight, but very durable frame. Thomas had also bought them new pair of sleeping bags and a large four person tent in addition to some cooking gear, four canteens, and few other odds and ends. "And last but not least, something for your own protection." Thomas pulled out a pair of small metal rods with tapered tips on one end and key rings on the other. "Kubatons, lovely little devices." Thomas smiled.

"Kubatons?" Sarah looked at the rods. "I've seen a few of those, the security guards at my father's lab used them for self defense when they couldn't rely on their pokemon." Sarah stated.

"I have my own defenses aside from my blade." Thomas stated reaching under his bed and pulling out the majority of his things from his past lives. "I think we're going to start training together, once a week, we'll even try to take a day off just to train." Thomas stated. "The knights never once forced their pokemon into combat alone. We'll be expected to do the same if we encounter them later on."

"You expect them to meet up with them later on?" Sarah asked looking down at the kubatons.

"They've been hunting me for over 600 years." Thomas stated quickly preparing both of the bags, but making sure to put the tent and other major items inside Sarah's bag, taking the heavier and less important gear into his own pack. "I've only got one tent for us, it will be easier to work with if we just have one tent." Thomas explained. "I'm also packing your pack with most of the food, if we get separated, you should be fine."

"And what about you?" Sarah asked seeing how her pack was getting favored for their new gear.

"In the world we live in today, this is considered a true luxury to have a tent that folds up like this, to have light weight cooking gear, and to have packs designed for the sole purpose of camping out." Thomas stated. "Compared to what my father had to work with he started his journey, we are living the good life." Thomas kept up packing both backs and soon enough, they were ready. "We'll make our way to Carter City and get a ride down to the orange isles from there. I know a place that raises larpas down there for use by the isles in order to get back and forth and if we are lucky, we might be able to get one for ourselves." As soon as their stuff was packed, Thomas walked out of the hotel with Sarah and Radara at his side, they quickly made their way out of the city and into the forest onto one of the lesser used trails. Within a few hours, they had already put some distance between the city and themselves.

With their top concern just putting some distance between them and the city, they didn't stop for many breaks and their night was thankfully uneventful. Come the next morning though, Thomas was sure that they weren't being followed and he seemed to cheer up a bit. He was also glad that they had already traveled half the distance to the next city in such a short time.

Seeing that his mood had improved, Sarah's did as well and decided to strike up a conversation. Unlike every other time when she had done this, Thomas actually decided to respond for once, although he still didn't really appreciate the company entirely, he knew that he could use to it if he gave her a chance for once. Radara was pleased with his outcome and was finally relaxing herself as they walked along, perhaps her daughter might be born into a proper family for once, well as proper as their life would let them anyway. Like before, they didn't take too many breaks keeping up their good pace and by that evening, they had arrived in the Carter City, the small port town known for its trade with the Orange Islands.

Although it was a small town, there was a large outdoor market square used to sell and display the goods from the orange islands. Thomas smiled as he walked closer recalling the last time he was there. "Thomas, what's got you in such a good mood all of a sudden?" Sarah asked seeing his smile.

"Just some more memories from my grandfather, he was here when this place was still a small fishing port." Thomas replied. "Radara even reincarnated here once." Thomas pointed to small line of beach huts. "Right down there, third one from the left. Of course back then, they didn't have electricity, just a large fire pit in each one to provide heat."

"Wait, Radara reincarnated here?" Sarah looked down to the espeon who just lightly nodded her head.

_'My grandmother would have liked to hold off on it a bit longer, but it was storming and there was no way we could get out of the region.' _Radara stated. _'The people in this area were so kind to my mother when she was born, the town was just starting off then and she become the first official new life born here.'_

"Eevee's were some of the most popular pets back then, their unevolved formed playful and cute, and with so many different evolutions, they had many purposes. My great grandfather was given several offers for her, but he couldn't sell her, none of us could sell out partners for any reason. We can't be separated to tell the truth." Thomas stated.

"What do you mean you can't be separated?" Sarah asked.

_'We are bonded together, always drawn to stay near each other. Even if we wanted to, we can't stray too far from each other.'_ Radara replied.

"You could say that our lives are linked together. We are bond to live with each other, to stay by the other's side and watch over each other." Thomas explained. "In any event, we are a pair which cannot be separated for long. We don't know how or why, but it's a truth we live by."

"Okay." Sarah was still left confused by the lack of a proper answer, but she didn't question it.

"We'd better get moving." Thomas once again started walking. "We've still got plenty of light, so I can start training you with those kubotans for a while today."

Radara was quick to keep up with Sarah right behind them as they walked into town. Thomas lead the way down the to the beach where he got them a hut for the night rather then stay in the pokemon center and they dropped off their gear leaving Juno to watch over it. Thomas and Sarah then went to get some more food along with Radara and Rebecca.

Thomas quickly went through the last of his cash restocking their food supplies as well as getting himself a new set of sunglasses to hide his slowly changing eyes. Sarah herself was also starting to run low on cash as well, but Thomas refused to let her withdraw anything right now knowing that the knights could easily track the money and with them just one city away, they wouldn't have time to vanish.

Returning back to their cabin, Thomas released all of his pokemon as did Sarah and Thomas made up a large meal for everyone, his several lifetimes of experience coming into play fixing up a very old Sinnoh dish, a mix of various vegetables and some berries with a few spices. It was quick, cheap to make, and filling which was what Thomas was going for and everyone enjoyed their meal that night, even with the slightly heavy tension in the air. Thomas and Radara seemed the most affected by this tension, still worried that the knights might be able to find them, although Radara had a few other reasons for the tension she was feeling.

Now with full bellies and rested, Thomas moved the furniture around to create a large empty spot in the middle of the cabin. "Might as well start with the basics." Thomas stated which got a slightly confused look from Sarah. "Come on, you need to learn how to use those kubotans."

"Oh yea." Sarah quickly reached into her pack and pulled out the two small metal rods.

"Alright, they are simple enough to use and my lifetimes of experience have taught me that the best way to learn to defend yourself is by having to do so." Thomas smiled and relaxed himself. "Remember, the point of using kubotans is not to hit with your fist, but with the end or tip of them." Thomas stated.

'_Thomas, go easy on her.'_ Radara warned. _'I will step in if I have to.'_

"Relax, I'm just walking her though the basics. We'll practice for about…" He looked up at the clock as it was a little after seven. "About four hours should be plenty of time to start." He replied as he waited for Sarah to join him. "I'm only going to show you the basics tonight." Holding out his hand, he had Sarah hand him one of the kubotans. Taking it in his right hand, he held his thumb over the end with the key ring, the tapered end pointed down. "The sides of the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, waist, and knees are all great points to jab with it." Thomas stated holding it in front of his chest, the tapered end pointed away from his body. "You will always want to take a position most appropriate to the environment, able to counter as wide a range as you can." Thomas explained waiting for Sarah to copy his stance.

Sarah's first lessons were a bit slow as the evening passed quickly with Thomas showing her a small number of defensive moves. Working hard showing her the basics uses of the kubotan, everyone watched as Thomas and Sarah started there training, missing the chimes of the grandfather clock in the corner until it let out a single, slightly loud, but low chime, showing that it was midnight.

Thomas and Sarah quickly began to lay out extra mats for everyone while Thomas threw some more logs onto the fire before starting to move the furniture back. By the time everything was done, it nearing one in the morning as they all got into their beds and cots. Rebecca was very happy to get to sleep with Thomas that night as he laid down in her cot and her presence did seem to help calm Thomas a bit much to Radara's liking. She knew that things would be rough, but compared to the way his father, it was a considerable improvement to how Jackson would have dealt with the situation when the knights showed up.

xXx

As usual, Thomas was up early and had already started to make a few calls checking on boat schedules looking for a convenient ride to the orange islands. Just as Rebecca wakes up, she looks over and finds Sarah still fast asleep, very quietly mumbling something about Thomas and her love for him.

Rebecca couldn't help but stare at her in anger for saying something like that; Thomas belonged to her, no one else. Despite how friendly they may have been over the years, she still harbored some bitterness towards Sarah every since they met back up with her in Petalburg and she was her normal self with Thomas once again.

Jealousy hits her though as Thomas has spent more time with Sarah over the last few days though, having little time for her. Getting up, she moves over to Sarah and puts her paws lightly on Sarah's back ready to push her out of the bed to wake her up.

Thomas looks just in time to see what Rebecca was up to as he puts down the phone. "Please Rebecca control yourself. We still have a ways to go before we get to where we have to go. I don't want you two at each others throat." Thomas sighs.

Rebecca looked at him for a moment as he turns his back, her foot now on Sarah as she is tempted to push her anyway. Before she has a chance though, a soft glow encompasses her and pulled her back to her cot away from Sarah's sleeping body.

'_He said no Rebecca, so please try not to give into your jealousy.'_ Radara stated yawning as she had just woken up moments before herself.

'_Why not? She always sleeps in late, why do we have to wait for her all the time?'_ Rebecca grumbles a bit looking at Sarah.

"Because my mother asked her join with us and she wanted to come." Thomas says walking over. "Besides, with the knights once again on our trail, they will look specifically for me alone in my travels, it's become second nature to me and they know this, they expect this." He sighs a bit realizing just how long it has truly been to travel with a human his own age in a sense.

'Ever since she showed up, you barely have time for me anymore.' Rebecca pouts a bit as Radara releases her hold.

"We've all been busy lately, being chased by the knights doesn't leave any of us much time for romance." He looks at her with a bit of sad face walking over and hugging her from behind. "I know it feels like I've been ignoring you as of late."

'_Because you have, you dolt. All you worry about is the knights and watching over the legendaires, you seem to have forgot that your are her mate now, and she has need and wants you to acknowledge them. I can't help but worry about you, you keep going on and on about how you wanted someone to share your life with, to love and care for, and yet you forget that you have such a thing, a mate to call your own.'_ Radara shakes her head a bit, her voice slightly irritated. _'And don't give me that excuse, I know damn well what your going to say and I'm tired of hearing it. If I have to beat you into place to get this point across, I will and you know it.'_ Radara glares at him with a fierce look before looking back over to Rebecca with a much softer look. _'And Rebecca, quit your childish antics, I know your doing it just to get Thomas's attention. He loves you dear, a love he hasn't truly felt in generations, never forget that despite how dense he is.'_

"Hey…" Thomas starts to say something, but quickly quiets down as Radara turns her gaze to him once again.

Rebecca looks down though after a few seconds as Thomas hugs her a bit more, realizing that she has been acting a bit jealous knowing that Thomas is hers and nothing could change that.

A loud thud catches all of their attention as they group looks over to Sarah's bed to find it empty, a cover just barely still on the bed. Rebecca holds back a laugh, but still smiles. _'Hey, she fell on her own, I didn't do anything.'_ She counters quietly seeing Radara eye her. _'Not that it wasn't funny.'_ She giggles a bit as Radara shakes her head.

Sarah gets up holding her elbow with a slightly painful look on her face. "What happened?" She asked looking at Thomas and Rebecca. "How did I get on the floor?"

"You rolled right off the bed." Thomas smiles a bit. "Don't worry about though, we need to get ready. I found a trade ferry heading out for the orange islands in two days and the small business that owes boat happens to let trainers hitch a ride with them. Until then, we can get some more training in with your kubotans, I showed you the basics and you caught on quick, now your going to use them against me."

Sarah looks down at her watch. "What, now?" She asked yawning. "But its not even seven and we were up late last night. Can't you give me another hour of rest, I'm used to sleeping in for a while."

'_That's all you ever do.'_ Rebecca mumbled a bit, but still loud enough for Sarah to hear.

"What was that?" Sarah turned toward Rebecca slightly annoyed by already having been up so early. Thomas sighed and shook his head, it was going to be a long two days for him.

xXx

Thomas was surprised that those two days passed much quicker then he had thought, even if there were a few problems. Seeing how Sarah was advancing so quickly with the kubotans, he decided to do a bit of sparing with her to help her get more of a feel of them. Although she was a quick learner, Sarah didn't have much, if any luck against Thomas, his quick actions often disarming her in the first few moves, Rebecca always laughing each time this happened as Thomas constantly changed his choice maneuvers for each match.

Going at it for the tenth time that day, Thomas and Sarah each took their stances, Thomas of course quiet relaxed in general, but like Sarah, half a day of training had taken a small toll on him as well, both of them breathing a bit hard. Thomas stepped up quickly and while Sarah tried to jab with the kubotan in her right hand. Thomas sidestepped her maneuver easily enough and Sarah then tried to strike him with the kubotan in her left hand. Once again Thomas stepped back as Sarah tried to strike him once again with her right hand. Seeing a small opening, Thomas reached up and grabbed her wrist, gave a hard yank pulling her to her knees, and with a quick flick of the wrist, he knocked the kubotan out of her hand.

Sarah groaned a bit having been unable to even touch Thomas once during their two days of training, with each match he appeared to only get just a bit faster. Releasing her wrist and holding out his hand, Sarah took it and Thomas helped her up. "Why is that I keep getting tossed around?" Sarah asked looking over a still smiling Rebecca. "A little positive reinforcement wouldn't hurt."

"The last time I told you were doing good, I downed you one move. You can't risk getting cocky. If the knights have the chance, they won't hesitate. If they feel that you've been brainwashed, they will end it." Thomas stated causing Sarah to sigh a bit.

Looking back up, Sarah noticed an odd change about Thomas as she looked at his face." Thomas, your eyes. They... they're..." Sarah couldn't quiet explain the change in his eyes.

He merely nodded. "They've got a reddish tint on the border, don't they?" Thomas stated. Hearing this comment Rebecca stopped her laughing and walked up to only to see just what Thomas has said, a very light red border had began to form around his blue irises.

_'Thomas, what's going on?'_ Rebecca asked a bit worried.

"Relax, this is normal." Thomas smiled. "It's just the next change of many."

Sarah looked at him a bit confused, but she was knew there was a lot about Thomas she didn't know. "Okay, if you're sure you're about this."

"I've gone through this same change once a lifetime since I born, you get use to the change after a few times." He smiled as Sarah looked at her wrist a bit. "Oh, and Sarah." She looked up at him as he walked over and picked up his bag. "You have impressed me, your may not be a quick as Rebecca learning to defend yourself, but you learn fast."

Sarah smiled at his compliment and walked over to join him collecting her bag. It was almost time for them to leave anyway to catch their boat. Picking up her cell, Sarah suddenly realized something. "Oh Thomas, I know you said that we need to keep a low profile, but I really need to call my parents." Thomas and Sarah both recalled the last time Sarah had failed to check in. It was a small beach just outside of Lillycove City, a massive summer themed set of contests was going, things like beachball and a few select styles of pokemon tournaments, mostly set for the strongest fire and a few other types. Thomas has been drawn there himself, although for different reasons. Sarah had forgotten to check in for while and her father, having been friends with the local law enforcement had sent out a calling party. Thomas had almost been caught in the middle of his work by the group of officers sent to look for Sarah only to have them walk in on him in the middle of awkward situation a few hours later with Sarah. From there, things got worse and Sarah's father only got more protective. "I really don't want a repeat of last time and if we're being chased as it is, that would really make things difficult."

"At least wait until we get on the boat. They may have contacted your parents by now and I wouldn't put it past them to tell stories to help their cause." Thomas stated.

"Wait, how could they have gotten to my parents already?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know, but you heard Felix, they had already contacted my the Falston's within two days of finding me." Thomas stated as he called back his pokemon minus Radara and Rebecca while Sarah called back all of hers. Getting ready to walk out of the room, there was a soft crackle as Thomas began to turn off the lights, the one right over the door popped loudly in a bright flash of light, Thomas quickly covering his eyes as he staggered back some groaning a bit. "The heck was that?" He asked rubbing his eyes as Sarah and Rebecca walked up.

_'Thomas, are you okay?'_ Rebecca asked as he began to rub his eyes.

"That flash hurt." He replied rubbing his eyes.

_'Thomas, are you light sensitive?'_ Radara asked looking up at him.

"That would be a yes, I'm very light sensitive." He stated as he rubbed his eyes one last time before looking around, small spots fading from his sight.

_'I knew your eyes were changing too quickly, you whole body is slowly changing ahead of schedule, this just proves my theory.'_ Radara stated.

"What do you mean ahead of schedule, I thought you said this was normal." Sarah asked looking at him as he found his sunglasses and put them of.

"It's rare, but it happens." Thomas countered. "My eyes normally change about month and a half, sometimes two months after my eighteenth birthday." Thomas stated.

"It's only been a little over a month since you turned eighteen." Sarah stated.

_'Thomas, your changes have been occurring ahead of time for the last two years, at first a day or two which I could accept as you were returning to you original power, but your eyes, it always took a week for them to become light sensitive even when changing.'_ Radara stated walking up to him. _'I can't help but be worried.'_

"Radara relax." Thomas stated as his vision returned to normal, the small spots gone but he was able to make things out a bit more clearly now.

_'Thomas, are you sure your okay.'_ Rebecca asked.

"I'll be fine. Come on, we have a boat to catch." He smiled to help reassure her, but Radara wasn't so sure.

_'Thomas, you will keep me informed of your changes from now on, I'm worried something isn't right. You've already teleported once, your eyes are changing too soon...'_ Radara informed Thomas and Thomas alone.

_'I'll let you know if anything happens that shouldn't.'_ Thomas replied back to her. _'Tavu always changed faster then the rest of us as he regained powers, with me being the only one left, we can't exactly track how fast I'm regaining my abilities.'_ Thomas stated as they returned the key to cabin and started to head to the docks.

_'That's just it though, Tavu changed faster because that thing did something to him, to help him regain his powers. We still can't even be sure that it was responsible for his attack or whether it was something else that set him off.'_ Radara stated.

_'How could it have done something to me?'_ Thomas asked looking down at her. _'I was busy helping to restrain Lugia with Gali when Tavu made the kill freeing the others.' _

_'I don't know Thomas, something just doesn't feel right.'_ Radara sighed a bit as they walked. For all she knew, Thomas was right, he could have just of been returning back to his original form, each passing form allowing them to get just a bit closer to their original powers. But still, something feeling in her kept nagging and she couldn't help but worry about this.

The group of them quickly made it to the dock where a small group of other trainers were getting ready as well, but not as many as Thomas had originally thought.

To save a bit, Thomas got them a single room with two beds for the two day journey down to the Orange Isles. As Thomas had asked, Sarah had called her parents and was forced to leave a message since her parents were not home. During the two day trip though, Thomas made sure to spend some time with Rebecca, which pleased her greatly even if they had to be a bit discreet, but at least he was with her and spending time with her. The two days on the boat passed without trouble, although Thomas was wearing his sunglasses all the time now hide eyes as their red trim and his sensitivity to light grew.

Around midday on the second day, the small boat arrived at Sunburst Island ready to pick up its next shipment of crystal to take up to Carter City. The group made a small stop for a meal. "So, where to now?" Sarah asked as Thomas looked around.

"We can get a ride to Hamlin Island from here." Thomas replied. "You can make a small withdrawal from the bank there, and I'll empty out my account as well. We spend the night there and get a lapras in the morning." Thomas explained. "Once we get our lapras, we'll head over to Ice Island. Articuno shouldn't mind the company that much and we can hide there for a while."

"Hide there?" Sarah asked a bit confused as Thomas walked down the main street of the port.

"The knights will still focused on Kanto, but there is chance that they may expand their search. Besides, a week of relaxation after everything we've gone through recently might help us all." He smiled looking over at Rebecca. "Its been nearly sixty years since I've stopped her and no doubt, Articuno, _Moltres__,_ and Zapdos would welcome the company, and I image they will be most eager to meet you knowing how I have been over the past 600 years."

"Thomas, how are we going to get to Hamlin island?" Sarah asked as Rebecca smiled back at Thomas. "I don't have much left."

"I've got just enough left to get us there, I already priced most of this out." Thomas stated as he found a nice small shop on the edge of the town and walked inside. Walking in, Thomas pulled out the small emerald band that he had picked up from his box of things that Diana was holding for him. "Let me know if you see any you like." He told Rebecca as he walked in. "But keep in mind that they need to be small." He stated walking through the store looking at the large assortment of small gems, crystals, and statues.

"Thomas, what are we doing here?" Sarah asked.

_'He is looking for gemstones to create a glove similar to one he showed you, his personal reminder that once again has a mate.'_ Radara stated.

"Oh yea." Sarah recalled the night that the knights had first caught up to them and she had met Felix and Macy.

Thomas looked around for a bit with Rebecca before she finally found a few, a tray full of odds and ends which included a set of three amethysts and a ruby, all of them small and round. Thomas grabbed the gems and walked up to the counter and after a bit of talking, traded his emerald band for the four small gems and a little bit of cash. With that one detail out of the way, they headed back to get on a ferry to Hamlin Island.

It was easy, if boring trip from Sunburst Island to Hamlin Island where Sarah and Thomas quickly went to the bank. "Remember Sarah, don't take out too much, just your normal amount." Thomas stated as they walked in and each went to a teller. Sarah withdrew her amount, 550 dollars, enough to last her a month, easy in and out deal. Thomas on the other, took a bit longer as he emptied his account and then closed it with the excuse of moving to the Sinnoh region, where his current bank did not have any branches. At last, Thomas walked out with a fair amount in his pocket and stashed in his bag.

"And just what took you so long?" Sarah asked as they walked out of the bank towards the local hotel.

"I told you I have empty my account." Thomas explained. "Sadly, because of what I am, I'm often forced to break relations with people I know, too often." Thomas sighed a bit.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"I'll quit aging soon enough. Once that happens, people tend to take notice after a while." He explained as they walked into the hotel.

"Sarah?" A voice called out from across the room. Both Thomas and Sarah looked up and sitting there across the room were Sarah's parents talking with Thomas's parents.

"Oh, Thomas!" Vivian called smiling a bit as she walked up to Thomas with Andrew and Sarah's parents by her side.

_'And now I would love to know how we're going to get out of this one Thomas?'_ Radara asked sarcastically


	12. Chapter 12

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 12

Sarah's mother, Angela, was the first to call out to them. "Sarah?" She asked from across the room. Both Sarah and Thomas looked up just in time to see them getting and moving over to greet them.

"Oh, Thomas!" Vivian stated seeing them walk in.

"What are you all doing here?" Sarah asked as she looked them over, all fairly dressed up. "And what's with the fancy clothing."

"Oh, one of the sister companies to Silph Co. invited myself and Angela us out here to look over a few things, and we called out Vivian and Andrew to help us look some things over. We did such a good job once the four of us were here that the CEO of the company has decided to treat us to dinner." Sarah's father, Joseph stated looking at them.

"Please, come join us." Vivian smiled still unsure what to think recalling what Andrew's father had told her, she had to find out for herself.

"Dressed up like you are, I'm guessing it's a fancy restaurant." Sarah stated. "We don't have any good clothing for it."

"Hmmm, I think we can spare something for the both of you." Andrew smiled. "Besides, it'd be good to actually sit down for once."

"But I'd rather not intrude if your boss was the one who invited you to dinner." Thomas stated.

Andrew laughed a bit. "Relax, its like Joseph said. We are being treated to dinner, Mr. Galtic won't be joining us, he said he had other plans, but still wished for us to have a good time for our help."

Sarah smiled and nodded as Joseph pulled out a room key for the Sigil's room and Andrew passed his onto Thomas so that the two of them could get something suitable to wear. Sarah smiled and asked them to go ahead and get their table. They were expecting to have to wait a few minutes anyway and while their parents were getting them a table, that left time for Sarah and Thomas to get a room themselves, which Andrew readily paid for, and get themselves a shower.

Both Sarah and Thomas got their borrowed clothing and then went to their room to get their showers.

Their showers went quick, but Thomas was worried and big time, which in turn only caused Sarah and Rebecca to worry a bit as well.

"Thomas, what's up?" Sarah asked as she finished with her hair, finally dried and now being braided back. She was nearly completely dressed now and aside from a coat and shoes, she was ready to go. Thomas on the other hand, although mostly dressed, was far from ready. He rubbed off the mirror with a towel and looked over his eyes. Nearly a quarter of his eyes were solid red now and his pupils had began to flatten up some, not to mention just how light sensitive he was.

"Talk about lousy timing." He sighed. This earned a confused look from Sarah as she looked at him. "I left on sort of bad terms last time I showed up at the estate." Thomas explained.

"Bad terms?" Sarah asked.

"You remember how Eric is. Andrew's father, not your friend." Thomas added that second part seeing that she was even more confused by the name he gave her. "Well, I let slip that me and Rebecca had more then his tolerated master and servant relationship. I defended her from his insults, but that didn't do much good."

"What happened?" Sarah took a seat on the bed putting on her shoes.

"Me and Rebecca had just come to realize our feelings for each other, and accepted them at the time. When I defended Rebecca though, Eric let his mind run wild, assuming all sorts of things. He provoked me by striking at Rebecca and I turned on him. Radara stopped me before anything serious could happen, but…" Thomas sighed. "Andrew thankfully had already approved of my relationship, but when Eric turned and told Vivian his story about everything I was 'supposedly' doing with Rebecca. Well, Andrew passed on the message that Vivian would rather not see me for a while."

"I'm sorry Thomas." She said looking at him suddenly understanding his worry. "But can't you use this opportunity to try and fix things with her?"

"I wish it was that simple, but I've got more problems that then right now. Talk about lousy timing." He rubbed his eyes again, even the one bathroom light was a bit hard on him right now.

"Bad timing?" Sarah asked.

He looked at her, showing her just how much they had changed. "I'm nearly blind right now, I can see what's right in front of me and what's in the corner of my eyes, but I've got a pair of large blurred circles in my field of vision right now." He stated. "Where my eyes are changing colors, I'm blind. Normally, I can just shift between my normal eyes and my true eyes, but it takes about a minute, during that minute though I'm blind. Of course, a minute of blindness isn't that bad. When they change for the first time though, things are different. I'll be blind like this for another day or two and this light sensitivity doesn't help at all."

'_Normally during this time, I would help assist Thomas by making him aware of what he cannot see.'_ Radara stated as they walked out of the bathroom. _'In this case however, your parents are going to a place known as The Cloyster. Due to the no pokemon rule in place there, I will be unable to assist him.' _

"Oh…I see." Sarah looked over at him quickly starting to understand how things were stacking up on him.

"Just how am I going to explain any of this?" Thomas shook his head. "I may be getting stronger with my own psychic abilities, but I can't influence others like Radara can for at least another sixteen weeks, when my brain becomes fully active." His head dropped. "Extended evolution really bites at times." Rebecca walked in just in time to hear this

"Extended evolution?" Sarah looked at him rather confused as she put her ear rings in, Rebecca giving him a similar look.

"I don't evolve like other pokemon, but rather, my evolution takes places over the course of 11 years, I thought I explained that." He said looking at her. "The reason it takes so long is that is sort of like our rite of passage. A secondary effect to it is that we learn to control our vast sum of abilities as we get them, so we don't hurt ourselves or others by mistake from inexperience." Sarah nodded looking at him.

'_I would suggest that you get some colored contact lenses on your way over there.'_ Radara stated.

"Where?" He asked looking at Radara.

'_There was a small costume store that we passed a few stores down from the hotel.'_ Radara stated. _'I believe that it may help you some if you wear them and merely claim you've started to develop a migraine over the course of the day. That would account for your light sensitivity as well as partially excuse you from small mistakes during dinner caused by your blindness.'_

Thomas smiled and patted her head lightly. "I wasn't kidding when she was far wiser then I am." Thomas stated. "She's always looking out for me."

'_You are wise in your own ways, but you still get too caught up in other things to notice the obvious at times.'_ Radara replied. _'It never hurts to look around and prepare for the unexpected.'_

Thomas nodded at her words, so very true. He sat on the bed and put his boots on. "The night is yours then Radara, just try not to be seen too much."

'_If I decide to head out, I shall walk the beach, it will be close to still keep a partial eye on you.'_ Radara stated.

'_Are we ready to go now?'_ Rebecca asked once Thomas put his shoes on.

"Rebecca, I told you can't come." Thomas stated.

'_But why not?'_ Rebecca asked, her ears dropping.

"Because The Cloyster has a no pokemon rule in place." Thomas replied. "The owners even go so far as to frown on trainers, even refusing some entry."

'_But I could always come in my pokeball right?'_ she asked. _'I promise to even return myself once we get there.'_

Thomas smiled a bit at her eagerness, but shook his head. "As much as I would love to have you join us, I can't risk you being seen by Vivian. Even downstairs, I could feel her uncertainty." Thomas stated. "Please, just stay here."

'_But you gave Radara the night to herself and let her run free.'_ Rebecca stated.

"I don't have to worry about poachers with Radara, she can handle herself. Even on the off chance that someone does get her, I know for a fact that I can find her." He stated. "If something were to happen to you however…"

Rebecca went to say something, but Radara spoke first. _'Rebecca, please. I know you want to go with him, but he has enough on his mind right now, more then you realize. It's hard enough for him to see them now knowing what he has to do soon enough. He wants to at least try to settle as much as he can with the Falston's before he has to leave them.'_

'_Leave them?'_ Rebecca asked.

Thomas's head dropped again as he sighed. "I told you outside that I'd quit aging soon enough and that people tend to notice after some time." Thomas paused. "I'm going to have to leave them in some way, either by faking my death, or just abandoning them all together, or something else." He said.

Sarah looked at him as he once again sat back. "Thomas…"

"Its rough either way, but if I stay at this point, the knights may get the idea that I'm not just using them as a safe harbor. They've already been contacted once about me and I'm not even sure how that went." Thomas stated as Rebecca took a spot next to him and leaned up on him.

'_At least you have me with you. I won't leave you.'_ Rebecca stated.

"Thanks." He scratched lightly on her neck and she leaned into him a bit more. "I've got to go now though, just promise me you'll stay here." He stated. "This may be my last chance to try and fix things with them and I'd rather they remembered me in a good way." Thomas stated.

Rebecca looked a bit torn, but nodded. _'I'll stay here.'_ She said softly.

"Thanks you. I promise I'll make it up to you." He said as Sarah moved to the door.

"Come on, we're already late." She informed him. He nodded and got up walking out the door with her.

"Thomas, are you sure your alright?" She asked as they got into the elevator.

"I've been better, I'll put it that way." He replied. The sudden impact of what he had to do later on was sinking in more then ever. With everything that had happened, he had nearly forgotten about. He walked a little slowly trying to think things over as he made a quick stop into the shop Radara had pointed out, getting himself a pair of blue contact lenses. He didn't exactly like them, they weren't an exact match to his original eye color, but he knew that they were close enough. What really made it bad though were how much they irritated his already sensitive eyes, but he'd have to put up with it for a bit.

From there, it was a quick walk over to The Closter. The large building was designed after what it had been named after, with a small number of shellder outdoor patios, the entire place was pretty busy, waiters and waitresses moving all around taking orders and making sure everything was good. Andrew was waiting by the door and noticed them calling them over. "Ah, you both look nice." He smiled. "Come on, we've got drinks ordered for both of you already, the others are waiting us."

Thomas and Sarah followed him to the table, the only seats left were a pair between Vivian and Angela, both of them seemingly very eager to have them take their seats. "Oh Thomas, Sarah, you both look so wonderful." Angela smiled and waited for them. Thomas could feel something going on there and looking over Vivian and Angela, he quickly knew what it was.

Thomas took his seat next to Vivian and Sarah next to Angela. Just like Andrew had said, both of them had drinks waiting for them, Thomas a nice strong brewed tea grown on the island and Sarah a sprite. "It's been so long since I've seen you." Angela smiled. "How is everything going?" Angela asked Thomas. "And Sarah, you look so wonderful yourself."

Thomas mentally sighed, this was going to be a long dinner. "I've been fine, just lots of traveling as usual." He responded. A quick glance over at Joseph and he could something very different from him. He could tell just by the look alone, that he hated seeing Thomas with his daughter, and the way that Sarah was always acting around him didn't help. He couldn't help but feel that this long dinner just got a lot longer.

"Thanks." Sarah smiled and sipped her drink as the waiter came up and passed out menus before walking back off. "I'm so glad to see you again." Vivian stated as she already knew what she wanted to order, never even picking up her menu. "Both of you." She looked at Thomas and Sarah.

"How goes the journey you two?" Andrew asked.

"Things are well enough, that lady who called you asking my father had a few things of his that she gave me." Thomas stated.

"Oh?" Vivian asked. "Like what?"

"Odds and ends, a music box, some gems my father collected." Thomas replied looking over Sarah's mind to get a feel of the menu since he couldn't really read it. "Enough for me to at least learn something about my father." Thomas finally found something that he would like, the rest of them figuring out their orders as well and just in time for the waiter to come back.

"Oh, that must be nice. Do you know what kind of man he was?" Angela asked.

"A collector of sorts I think." Thomas stated thinking that perhaps that may not be such a long dinner.

"And what about you Sarah, what have you been up too?" Joseph asked.

"Oh, I got Thomas to join me at a festival on Mount Moon." Sarah cheerfully said. "It was so fun."

"That sounds nice." Vivian stated, suddenly quiet cheerful herself. "I've been to the blue moon festival with Andrew once, it was where we decided to get married."

Andrew nodded. "I recall that festival, I still have that scar from when I tripped and fell back, nearly dropped the ring." He laughed a bit. "Did you two have fun?" He asked.

"Oh yea, it was fun." Sarah smiled. Angela smiled just as much herself, but Joseph seemed a bit irritated by this.

"I bet your enjoyed it, do they still have that flower booth?" Angela asked. "They said that the Mount Moon tulip was a very special flower, it a meant only to be given to your lover."

"Yea, they had it." Sarah responded.

"Did Thomas buy you any?" Angela asked in a very hopeful tone. Thomas could see Joseph biting his lip a bit now at Angela's last comment.

Sarah blushed a bit, but shook her head. "No, we kinda left early."

"Why'd you leave the festival early?" Vivian asked, both her and Angela a bit disappointed by Sarah's response.

"Things got a little too rough for me." Thomas stated. "Too many people, too much noise, I just didn't right up there."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Joseph said, with his own smile now.

"That's right, you never liked large crowds." Angela said softly. "But Sarah's still with you, so you two must have had some good times traveling with other again." She quickly cheered back up at that thought.

Sarah nodded her head. "Yea, it's been relaly fun, a bit rough, but fun."

"Rough?" Joseph asked a bit annoyed.

"Team Rocket gave us a bit of trouble." Thomas quickly stated. "Of course, they weren't much of a problem, just persistant."

"Ah, and just what did Team rocket want with you two?" Joseph looked at him expecting a proper answer.

"The same thing they always want, any pokemon they can get their hands on." Thomas stated. "They thought a pair of trainers walking out in the woods must have been an easy mark, but, we proved them wrong."

Joseph looked at him for a few as if judging him, but then leaned back and nodded. "Very well."

"Come on, let's not talk about our troubles." Angela said. "I'm sure Thomas could easily protect Sarah, you worry too much." She looked at her husband. "Thomas is a nice responcible young man, he'd make any girl a wonderful husband. Isn't that right Vivian?" Sarah blushed deeply at how her mother had said that, obviously hinting about what girl Thomas would be a perfect husband to.

"Yes, Thomas is a very good boy, any girl would be lucky to have him." Vivian smiled looking at Sarah as she said that. Thomas just sighed, he was right, the two of them were definitely trying to set him up with Sarah.

Andrew sighed a bit himself, of course Thomas was the only one to notice. "So, aside from Mount Moon, what all have you two been up to?" Vivian asked.

"Not much, just a lot of traveling." Sarah said, her blush still there, but fading.

"What brought you two out here though?" Angela asked.

"Oh, I heard that Articuno was sighted again, I was kinda hoping to catch to glance." Thomas stated. "They say she makes a round through the isles every once in a while."

Angela looked at him. "She? I always heard that all three of the legendary birds were males."

Thomas cursed mentally. "Really?" He asked. "I heard rumors that Articuno was the only female of the pack?" he quickly said.

"Hmmm, I guess its possible, no one has ever really gotten close to them." Vivian said thinking about it.

"Well, I hope you see her." Angela smiled. "Just make sure that Sarah doesn't get hurt while your trying to find Articuno."

"She's the one who chose to come with me." Thomas said. "But yes, I will look after her."

Both Angela and Vivian lit up again while Joseph bit his lip again. Once again, Thomas felt that he was in for a rough time. Thankfully, their food had come at last. For the most part, everyone had ordered some kind of shrimp or lobster, Angela merely getting a large salad however. Thankfully for Thomas, the talking had slowed a bit, everyone seemed a bit more interested in their meals right now.

"So, any ideas when you plan to make a trip back home?" Joseph asked Sarah.

She looked up. "I'll try to come back home sometime soon." She replied. "But I'd like to travel with Thomas for a while, its been so long since we've had a chance to travel with each other."

"I'd at least like you home for your mother's birthday next month." Joseph stated.

"I will, I promise." Sarah smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that." Josehp nodded looking around and asking for another light beer as the waiter passed.

"Honey, lighten up some." Angela said. "She's a grown lady know, she doesn't have to keep checking in anymore and Thomas already said that he'd look after her."

"I just asked her to make sure she was home for you birthday." Joseph countered.

"And we both know why you asked her." Angela said. "As much as I even hate to admit it myself, Sarah is not the little girl she once was and she can make her own choices. If she wants to stay with Thomas, the she can stay with Thomas. They make a great couple."

Sarah blushed even harder now while Joseph clentched his teeth. "I don't care if you like, but I think he's unreliable." He bluntly stated.

"Father?" Sarah looked at him a bit annoyed, but rather more confused.

"You shouldn't be around him, you should marry someone like Nelsin." Jopesh stated. "I've put up with your traveling, I thought that you'd just settle down one day and give up that cooridinater obsession. I won't have you marry some traveling fool, he doesn't even make an effort to get somewhere in life. All he does is travel and make just enough to keep traveling around."

"Joseph." Angela stated firmly looking at him. "How dare you insult Thomas, he's an excellent boy."

Thomas sighed a bit. "Look, sir." He stated. "Your daughter choose to travel with me, I didn't hit on her, make any passes, I didn't offer her anything."

"You just keep quiet, this doesn't involve you." Joseph snapped.

"Is your husband always like this?" Thomas looked over to Angela.

"No, he's normally not." Angela stated. "Joseph, what's gotten into you?" She demanded.

"That rotten boy is his problem a new voice stated from behind them. "I guess he didn't tell you about thomas then?" Everyone looked over to see Eric Falston standing there. "Sorry I'm late, but if your still inviting that mess of a child, I'll just be going. I was under the impression that we were going to have a proper dinner."

"What's he talking about? Thomas is a fine young man." Angela stated.

"That boy is in love with his pokemon." Eric stated with disgust, now everyone was looking over at them.

"You let your imagination run wild." Thomas stood up. "She saved my life, do you really think I'd just let you insult her."

"That's the sign of a good beast." Eric stated. "They are suppose to protect their masters even if it costs them an arm and a leg."

"Its asses like you two." Thomas pointed to Eric and Jospeh. "That give the higher social classes a bad name." He stated. "Your so set in your pathetic ways in a forever changing world that I'm surpirsed you can even see your own hands in front your face."

"You insufferable child, why didn't you beat this brat more." Eric demanded. Thomas could also sense Vivian was thinking that Eric was telling the truth again.

"That's it. I came here to try and have a peaceful talk with my parents, but I can see that it was hopeless. Andrew, I'll contact you later. Angela, you have a nice day. The rest of you can go jump into a river." Thomas got up and left leaving Sarah looking at her father and Eric with an agitated look.

"You know what, I'm with Thomas." Sarah pulled out her phone and set it on the table. "You can keep this, I'll just get a new one. When he apologies, I'll come back. I'll check my e-mail often to watch for it." She said getting up and walking after Thomas.

"Look what've you done."Angela screamed out and slapped Eric. "You keep telling lies and now look at what's happened. My own husband shooed my duaghter away and you've probably wrecked your own family because of your own pride."

Thomas couldn't help but smile at hearing what was going on behind as they left, a large scale argument breaking out as several waiters walked over to try and stop the fight. Just as he reached the door though, he ducked over behind a large plant.

"Thoams?" Sarah asked standing with him.

"He's a knight." Thomas pointed to a man that just walked in, recognising a distictive scar on the man's cheek. Even with his partial blindess, the unique shape of the scar was unmistakeable, the burned flesh in the shape of an miniture hourglass.

"I'm looking for the Sigil's. I was told they had a reservation here." The man stated to a waiter. "I'm sorry, but unless you have a reservation yourself, I can't let you in."

"You will let me in, this is a matter of a kidnapping, their daughter has been taken and I must speak to them about it." The knight stated.

The waiter scoffed. "Oh yes, very funny, but no. There duaghter is safe and sound, The Sigil's pay extra to extend their reservation for their daughter."

"What?" The knight asked. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"Sir, you will leave the premisis at once." The waiter stated.

"Your going to tell me where that girl is." The knight coutnered slamming a fist onto the table.

"Sir, you will leave or I'm calling the police." The waiter coutnered as the the arugement between the Sigil's and the Falston's got louder. The knight quickly pushed the waiter down and ran over to the argument. Thomas quickly grabbed Sarah and quickly pulled her back down the hotel alerting Radara about the trouble.

"Thomas, what are the knights doing here?" Sarah asked as they ran back to the hotel. "And what did they mean I was kidnapped."

"They think I've brainwashed you remember." Thomas reminded her as they entered the hotel. "Radara should have most of our things backed up by now, change clothing fast and grab your bag."

It was a quick ride up the elevator and then walk to their rooms. _'Am I to assume that things went rather badly?'_ Radara asked as they walked in.

"Yes, badly indeed." Thomas stated as he quickly wrote up a note for andrew hiding it in the pocket of the pants her borrowed as he got dressed in his own clothing

'_And the knights were already tracking down the Sigil's, they must have information about us.'_ Radara used her psyhic abilities to lift up their bags and belts and with their pokeballs on them as they finished getting dressed.

"Thomas, where are we going at this hour?" Sarah asked.

"We're heading to Kamquat Island. Its adandoned and boutiful in berries." Thomas stated. "Its also halfway to Ice Island." He stated as he put his gear on and walked out the door only to duck back in. "Radara, time for a bit of tricky, this knight is not wearing his head gear." He stated. Radara looked up and nodded, then was gone in a flash. Thomas went back to the door and just barly opened it as the man looked at the door numbers as he walked by. Radara was right behind him walking behind him as he moved. He was holding a sheet of paper in his hands. Thhomas closed the door just as the man walked up and passed them. He then heard the pounding in of the door belonging to room right next to thiers. Thomas pulled Sara out and made a quick run down the hallway with Radara right behind them. Radara stayed up in the hallway though until the doors finally closed, then she teleported into the elevator with them. "Is it just me, or are the knights getting too smart for their own good?" Thomas asked.

'_They are definitely well informed, but it is puzzling.'_ Radara stated.

"If they had this much information, why didn't they track us down sooner?" Thomas stated as they reached the bottom floor. He quickly made his way up the front desk. "Excuse me sir, you've got a guy on the third floor breaking into rooms." He said leaving the man asking for someone to check out third floor.

They group of them quickly made their way to the docks while there was still light out. From there, they found the place that raised and sold lapras for use for travel between the islands. After a bit of talk, Thomas got fed up with trying to negociate a price to just outright buy one and handed the man in charge of the place a pair of gold rings. Once again, Radara's influence in addition to the man's own greed got them a very promising lapras, which Thomas then gave to Sarah.

"Look, I've got enough pokemon as it is, I normally only try to keep Radara, Juno, and sometimes one other." He told her before she had a chance to argue. "Just take it." He said.

She still looked at him a bit concerned about how he just gave it to her after trading two gold rings for it. "Now off to Kamquat Island." Thomas said as Sarah called out here new pokemon. The lapras seemed a bit eager to get on the way and prove her worth, but Radara managed to calm her down and allow for a steady ride to their requested destination. Thomas finally gave a sigh of relief that they had just narrowly escaped the knights again, but everything else was sinking in.

"I guess there goes my chances for making things right with Vivian." He said.

"Thomas, its not your fault." Sarah leaned next to him and patted his shoulder. "Who knew my father could be so mean. I knew he didn't exactly approve of my own travels, but I always thought that he respected you."

"I thought so too, but Eric's story may have done more harm then I thought." He stated. "What is it with people named Eric."

She looked at him a bit annoyed now thinking of her friend Eric. "And what's wrong with everyone with that name?" She asked.

"For some odd reason, people named Eric that I meet up tend to … well let's just say things rarely end well." Thomas explained.

"Really?" Sarah asked.

"Eric Van'Helberg, 1425. A simple party turned into a bar fight when he stepped up drunk and started hitting on Gali. She refused, he slapped her, I stepped in and by the end of the night, I had three knives in my back." He said. "Eric Barrowstien, 1673. I finally lose the knights after they find me for the first time, and he sells me out. Eric Gelborn, 1721, and Eric Boggs, 1796, both do the same. Eric Anderson, 1765. I'm looking to purchase some food, when he walks up into the market place and starts demanding his usual 'tribute' from everyone, including me, only he wanted Juno's pelt as his fee and things got out of hand real fast that time." Thomas stated. "Trust me, me and people named Eric do not get along."

"Oh…" Sarah looked at him understanding a bit. "Surely there must have other people with the same name who don't get along with you."

"No, its just Eric. When you live as long as I do, your bound to come across many people who share the same name, but those with the name of Eric for reason always seem to have a problem with me in some way." He said. "I'm sure if I thought about, I may find another name or two, but Eric is the one that just pops up on its own." He sighed.

She looked at him. "Well, what about my friend Eric?" She asked trying to disprove his theory.

Thomas looked at her and turned away for a second. "Well, our short time together traveling wasn't exsactly perfect." Thomas stated.

"Hmm?" Sarah asked giving him a confused look.

"He kinda confronted me about you being his girl and how I was trying to take her." He replied softly and slowly. "That on the way to mount moon. I said you were his if you wanted him and we were just friends."


	13. Chapter 13

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 13

The night was long and with everything happening so fast over the last few days, tension had mounted up fast. Between the knights which seemed to be tracking Thomas, and in turn Sarah, along with the lies they were no doubt spilling, the fact that Sarah had a major argument with her father, and all of these 'visions' Thomas kept seeing of things he wanted, but could never have, things were anything but calm.

For the most part, that night was calm, Kamquat island provided a bounty of berries as well as a good hiding place that night. Thomas and Radara watched a small number of boats come and go from the surrounding islands, no doubt one or two belonged to the knights at least. Thomas and Radara talked a lot that night as well before falling asleep. The next morning, they were once again on the water.

For the most part, Thomas and Radara kept talking quietly to each other, but their voices were slowly getting louder as the sun rose, neither of them noticing the small presence in the back of their minds that had started just a very small argument what was quickly growing.

Thomas looks over the calm waters, their destination in sight and they could already feel the chill of Ice Island. He adjusted his goggles, a much darker shade of blue now, he was very glad that he got the transition lenses as the sun reflected off the water. His eyes were more sensitive then ever right now, but he was thankfully starting to regain color in his sight. At last, the shore of Ice Island comes into proper view. Despite it being the middle of summer though, it still feels like winter has set in here.

"Damn it Thomas, I didn't think it would be this cold!" Sarah states rather loudly through chattering teeth. Even with her jacket and both of her sweaters on, she can still easily feel the chill.

He was quickly rethinking not having got a proper set of winter coats though, and he was thankful that Rebecca had followed his advice, staying in her pokeball for the trip. He smiled a bit knowing that at least his pokemon were warm… aside from the stubborn.

Radara always hated the cold, and she had to wonder why she didn't argue when Thomas brought up the fact that they were headed to Ice Island. Sure she enjoyed Articuno's company, but there was no reason that Articuno couldn't come to Fire or Lighting Island. And she made sure that Thomas knew how she felt, sending him a rather powerful stream of negative energy.

Thomas was pretty sure that all of her negativity though was mostly spawning from one point, the 'coat' that Sarah had bought her a year ago. Sure it was warm enough, she couldn't complain that it wasn't comfortable, and it was even easy to move with. Her problem though was that it was, as Sarah had put it, so adorable. Radara hated adorable, it didn't suit her. Sure she took good care of her fur coat and made sure to keep it groomed, but mostly, she didn't care too much how she looked and this purple 'ball of fuzz' irritated her to no end.

Thomas of course was feeling the brunt of it. He was still attempting to block out most of her over all feelings, but he was still far from developing the last of his powers and couldn't block her out much. Now it was as though he had a nest of angry beedrills in his head.

"Would you stop it Radara?" Thomas finally asked looking down at her a bit annoyed himself. "I know its cold and its not getting any warmer. We're not going to get much warmer until we get up there and into the caves and your constant nagging is not helping matters."

'_Oh yes Thomas, let's think all of the stuff you do through planning. That one time in Velvet Town with Suicune. You rushed into that collector's house and got her back by force, law enforcement chased us for months because you couldn't bother to be more stealthy. By Arceus you sometimes move like a tauros through a china shop.' _Radara growled.

"Oh yes little miss perfect, let's check your track record. Oh yea, in your last incarnation when you had the one pokemon trainer's pokemon all under your, how did you say, your spell?" Thomas countered. "That fell apart real fast when they all started to fight over the right to be the father of your children. I don't recall that working out too well in the end."

'_Don't you dare judge me over that? It was a sound plan, those idiots were just egoist fools.'_ Radara glared up at him.

"Oh, its never your fault is it my perfect little partner. You never make a mistake do you, you are always." Thomas was quickly cut off before he could finish his statement.

"For the love of Arceus, would you both SHUT UP!" Sarah screamed finally losing. "Listening to you two, its like hear half a conversation and seeing the other half. Do you know how weird and annoying that is? Radara, would you please quit sharing your thoughts with me if your just going to keep showing me these places I've never seen before and feelings of such negativity." She snapped at them. "I know I promised to help you two, but I will drown you both out here in this frigid water if you don't stop this. Arceus be damned if I have to listen to the two of you argue like ten year olds. You say that you've been around since the dawn of time? Well, you sure don't act like it!" She snaps at them, breathing hard from her words her own goggles quickly fogging over from her breathe.

For a brief moment, both of them look at her in a bit of shock. They have had many human and pokemon companions over the years, none of whom had ever yelled at them like this.

"Sarah, please calm." Thomas starts, but is once again cut off.

"No, I will not calm down, I will not be quiet about this!" She interrupts him, her voice raised a bit. "A few weeks ago, I met Arceus…. ARCEUS!" She yelled. "A real god. You know what that means? Everything I was taught in church and learned in school about the subject was wrong."

"Well, not wrong, just misinterpreted. To suit their needs at the moment. It just kinda became so common in the various churches, that it became their truths." Thomas says looking at her.

"And so the whole leaving everything concerning you two being guardians just got left out of the history books?" Sarah replies, partially in sarcasm, partially actually a question.

'_Now child, don't be rude.'_ Sarah quickly flicks Radara in the head for her comment.

"Will you stop calling me 'child'. I know I am younger then both of you, if anything though, your are the children here." She stated earning shocked looks from the both of them. "You need to grow up fast. You claim to have been doing this for years, but you both need to stop this bitter bickering. What happens when he get into another battle. So far, we have been lucky and no real battle has happened besides some pokemon battles."

"Sarah, we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves." Thomas stated confidently.

"Oh, so I guess your getting shot in the heart when we found Arceus was just dumb luck wasn't it?" She counters.

Thomas goes to make a comment, but remains quiet as Radara stifles a small laugh.

"And let's not forget about you either." Sarah states with a bit of malice behind her words. "You nearly drowned when you fell off the lapras just as we started this little voyage. Let me say this again. You can teleport and move things with your mind, even invade other peoples thoughts. YOU nearly drowned. In the water. Before we even really got off the island." Sarah looks at her. "Most trained pokemon can float or swim in water Radara, Thomas had to pick you up out of the water like a drowned meowth, and both of you are ones protecting the legendaries and Arceus?"

Both of them look embarrassed by her words as they realize just how much they have changed over the years. Before the dark times of the traitor and the creation of the Knights of Arceus, there were many of them who protected the will of Arceus and her chosen. They was always someone to watch their backs, but not anymore, they couldn't afford to let things slip up. Thinking about it now though, they realized just how much else had changed.

All but Thomas and Radara had been hunted and killed by those who had once relied and depended on them, they were the last of the watchers. This fact once again hits them hard now that they were thinking about it. They had always done their best to blend in, leaving little or no mark on history ever since the days of the traitor.

While they may have succeeded at hiding from history though, the knights had a long memory, now appearing to be always one step behind them as they moved, only adding to their problems.

"Look Sarah, you don't know the stress we both deal with everyday, trying to…" Radara cut him off before Thomas could finish.

'_Be an idiot.'_ She says loud enough for them both to hear in their heads earning her another bob upside the head from Sarah.

"Would you please stop that." She says just as annoyed as the two of them now. "You both are supposed to be better then this." She sighs a bit as the Lapras reaches the shore of Ice Island. "Finally, we can get off this lapras and walk."

The lapras makes her own comment in her native tongue, Radara translating for her. _"She just said if you don't like riding her, you could just walk across the water." _

Sarah looks at the lapras and pats her head for a second to apologize before she calls her back. "Oh yes, like I have great powers like you and Thomas." She says looking at them which brought up a few more questions, her anger spent, won over by curiosity. "By the way, can't you do that, like walk on water, or fly."

"Well, I can fly… No wait, its really more levitation." Thomas says. "But it takes up more power then its worth." He adds. "First off, I was never meant to fly, and like everyone else, I have to obey the laws of gravity. I could lift off for a little bit, but it takes too much effort to keep it going and I'm not nearly skilled enough to even try right now."

Radara starts to laugh as he explaining though as Thomas glares down at her. "What's so funny?" Sarah asked seeing her laughing so hard.

'_Oh nothing, I just recalled the last time Thomas took flight. He was showing off for young lady at a festival. You knocked yourself out for days.'_

"Oh shut up." Thomas half yells at her. "Someone spiked my tea with that moonshine."

Sarah's left with a smile at Thomas's last comment, trying to image him drunk in a past life as they climb up to the top of the frozen beach. Thomas finally releases Rebecca as well.

'_Oh, it feels to good to get out and stretch.'_ She smiles and hugs Thomas. _'Why couldn't I ride with you?'_

"I told you, we had limited room on lapras's back." Thomas explains as he hugs her back. "I just hope it doesn't get any colder, I'd hate to have to put you back again."

Rebecca gives him a sad face. _'Why couldn't I just get a jacket like the rest of you?'_

"Because I know how you are about the cold, your legs always seem to be the first thing to get cold." Thomas pulls out his other lighter jacket and gives that to her to wear for now. "I'll work on getting a proper coat soon though, I don't want you to freeze."

"You had no problem asking me to freeze." Sarah grumbles just a bit, the cold getting on her nerves again.

Radara looks up at her. _'Sarah, please, there's no reason to be mean.'_

"Well, if we're done playing around, we need to find Articuno." Thomas says looking around. "Shouldn't she have noticed us by now?"

Radara looks around herself, a bit worried now. _'Hmmm, you are right Thomas. She normally notices me when we approach. I have yet to hear from her.'_ She closes her eyes as the gem on her forehead glows a bit before she opens her eyes again, a very worried look on her face. _'Thomas, I can't sense, something is interfering with my senses. I can barely even pick up the other pokemon on the island.' _ Radara then turns to Rebecca. _'Rebecca, can you use your aura sight to try and find her?'_

Rebecca nods as she kneels down holding her paws out as her dreadlocks rise up a bit and a faint blue light emits from her body. Her world goes a ghostly blue and black as she quickly looks over the island. She finds Articuno soon enough, but something was wrong. _'Thomas, I found her… but she doesn't seem right.'_

Thomas looks at her very worried himself. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly racing up to the only path that leads off the beach they docked on with everyone right behind him. "Where is she?"

'_She looks weak and her aura looked weird, like it had a light coming off it and was changing. And she's not alone, there are people with her, but they have very dark auras'_ Rebecca explains trying to find the best words to describe it what's going on with Articuno.

'_Changing?' _Radara asks looking at her. _'Sort of like, splitting apart, but only a very small part of it, the rest of her aura protecting that one small splinter?'_

Rebecca nods in confusion as Thomas growls a bit. "What's wrong?" Sarah quickly asks.

"She's started the reincarnation process." Thomas quickly states. "She's taking a small part of her self and giving it to the egg she's carrying." Thomas explained. "In her current state, she's very weak and defenseless." Thomas pauses for a few. "Say, could tell if there were traces of any other auras in Articuno's body?" he asked looked at Rebecca.

She shook her head in response. "Well, where are they?" He asked.

'_On a small enclosed beach on the other side of the island. She's not moving at all though, and she looks really weak.'_ Rebecca tells them.

"Damnit, why couldn't she have just waited another day or two. She must not have had a choice in the matter and froze herself over." Thomas grumbles. "How are we going to handle this?"

"Thomas, can't you have Radara just teleport her somewhere safe?" Sarah asked, Radara mostly just ignoring the comment.

"Teleportation isn't that simple." Thomas says as he quickly climbs up to the top of the small hill next to them looking over, just barely able to see the dip in the ice where the beach is on the other side of the island. "She needs to know both where she is and where she is going or she could jump into a wall or something when she arrives."

Sarah nods a bit, she never really study too much on psychic types aside from those that were common choice in contests such as gardevoirs, and even then, teleportation didn't have much of a place in most contests.

Rebecca is the next to speak up though. _'What if I helped her? She keeps saying that she needs a focus point to teleport to? My aura abilities could help me guide her right?'_

Thomas looks down to Radara to get her opinion knowing that if they could teleport her to safety; it would make things much easier.

'_Its possible, I'd have to put some focus into tracking Rebecca and she would need to pick an open place to wait for me.'_ Radara says after a minute of thinking about it.

"Well, it's a plan for now." Thomas looks down for a second thinking things over. "I'll go down and distract them, Aqua and Razor can help with that." He then looks to Sarah. "I need you to call out your pokemon, you may have to fight them. I pray they are just poachers though."

'_I sincerely hope that it is not Team Rocket…'_ Radara says a bit annoyed.

"What happened Radara?" Sarah asked, although not hearing the words, she did feel the small wave of negative emotions coming from her.

"Well, before I started on this journey, we ran into them twice. The first time they showed up, they tried to take Radara thinking that she was worth money." Thomas smiled a bit. "It was rather funny when they thought they had her cornered and drugged with a dart gun thinking that they could just take her jewel."

Sarah looked down to Radara. _'Let's just say that those will never be able to look at a jynx again without having… certain urges.'_ Radara told her shuddering a bit, obviously hiding something else about the event, but Thomas just shook his head telling Sarah to leave it.

"Anyway, we have to make sure we can do this. I have to assume its either Team Rocket or one of those other idiot organizations and that they have some sort of machine that's interfering with Radara's power." Thomas explains.

"But if that's true, do you really think Radara can teleport Articuno?" Sarah asked.

'_Teleportation is a very unique kind of psychic art. Most kinds of interference can often be ignored for short range teleportation, but it still takes major concentration and I will need Rebecca to pull this off.'_ Radara explains as they keep walking. _'As long as I have a focus point to teleport to, it will be easy to teleport to even if I can't see it.'_

Sarah still looks a bit worried. "If you say so." She pulls out her kubotans after she calls out her pokemon along with Thomas. She has never had to actually hurt anyone up till now, her pokemon always defended her.

"Rebecca, go up and find a cave, large, very open, high roof. Juno, you're with Rebecca, Radara and Sarah." Thomas commands as Sarah is left thinking about what is about to happen.

"No, I'm going with you Thomas." She says firmly.

'_Sarah, you've never been in a real battle.'_ Rebecca says when Sarah objects to not going with Thomas to help him out.

Sarah looks at her rather annoyed. "How is it that everyone thinks coordinators can't battle?" She asked looking at Rebecca getting and Radara to look over at what's going on. "I have train just as hard, even harder them most trainers to get my routines down with my pokemon." She lightly flicks Rebecca on the head. "I had to work hard for my ribbons."

Rebecca glares at her for a second, but backs down when she sees Thomas. Sarah looks over just in time to see her arcanine, Flare moving to get ready and follow Juno and she couldn't but smile a bit. "Fine you over grown throw rug, go be with your crush." She teases him a bit as he plants himself next to Juno, chest out obviously trying to impress her despite the situation.

She then looks to her umbreon and dragonair. "I'm going to need you both to help cover and Radara while we try to get Articuno to safety." She tells them as she looks her kubotans over again. Thomas, Aqua and Razor were already on the move to the give the group that had taken Articuno a special welcome. Rebecca, Juno, and Flare quickly left as well to find a place to hide and protect her.

Sarah moved to catch up with her pokemon as she began to think about what she was getting herself into. She gripped her kobutans a bit tighter as well.

Sparring with Thomas was one thing, that was just training, but now, she was in for the real deal and was heavily worried that she might have to hurt someone, or even worse. The fact that it was some poachers or Team Rocket made it a bit easier to cope with, but in the end, the fact was that she would need to hurt someone. She once again recalled what Thomas had told her one day when they were first sparring with each other.

xXx

Sarah was just starting to get the hang of her kubotans, managing the rare hit on Thomas now as she was improving. "Hey Thomas…" Sarah was panting a bit when a question suddenly popped into her head.

Thomas stood up panting a bit himself, she was getting good enough that he had to put some effort into taking her down now. "Hmmm?" He looked at her as he turned to get some water.

"Have… have you ever killed anyone?" She asked slowly not really sure how to even ask. Rebecca intrigued by the question as well quickly looked over to him.

Thomas quickly stopped in his track a blank look on his face at first. Rebecca quickly turned away after reading his aura. "Yes, I have." He says pausing. "Many times before the days of the traitor. All those times, it was for the protection Arceus and my fellow watchers." He paused again in deep though. "Funny though, no matter you say it, it never feels right. A little of you dies when you kill someone. Pieces of me and Radara had been slowly dying over the years, yet we never saw it before the days of the traitor. I was still even thinking that it was okay when in the defense of others, until that young knight cornered me."

Radara sits back, watching, her face much like Thomas's unreadable, but obviously in deep thought as well. Sarah knew that whatever happened, it was big when even Radara remained quiet, her ears down a bit.

Thomas stopped for a bit, Sarah thinking that maybe she should have never asked. "Its never easy." Thomas says as he takes a seat on the bed. "The last life I took, he couldn't have been more then 20 something." He said. "We fought for a bit, I could have blasted him away at any time though. Called for help from the pokemon in the area, just have disarmed with a quick move, but I was tired, both physically and mentally. I had just learned of Gali's death at the hands of a knight a week before and was trying to hold back." Thomas took a sip of water. "He kept talking the whole time we fought, saying that I was a traitor to the way of Arceus, that I was a demon, all things I had gotten use to hearing at the time. He kept talking though the whole time, finally saying that I'd never be back in Arceus's grace. I lost it, I snapped. All I can recall is just a flash of red and the stains on the wall" He quickly went quiet again.

Thomas simply stands there for a bit. Rebecca walked up and hugged him, whatever it was that his aura had revealed to her was big, she had a few tears in her eyes. He just had a dead look about him though, leaving Sarah wondering just how bad it really was.

"Sarah, I barely have a proper grasp of the powers I have in the years before I reincarnate, the same powers I had when the knight attacked me." He finally speaks up after a few. "We are powerful, being the children of a god, our anger is just as hers. That knight truly believed that Arceus would protect him, and at times, I kind of wish she had." Thomas says hugging Rebecca back lightly going quiet again.

"Is that why you refuse to let Arceus… your mother call by your real name?" Sarah asks a bit hesitantly.

Thomas just nods at first, before looking at her. "I am no longer worthy of that name. I'm just a warrior for her now. A weapon that is best used to banish the dark, a shield to protect her when she calls." He told her rather softly. He quickly got back to training with her, but there was a certain mood about him for a few days before he returned to what was normal for him.

xXx

Thomas was already moving along pretty fast up the hill towards the beach where Articuno was being held, their pokemon that had been chosen to come with them following him, ready for a fight. "Sarah, come on." Thomas calls out as he turns for a few, a similar look in his eyes as the time when she had asked him about having killed anyone, a very cautious look. She quickly caught up to him as they made it to the top of the small hill overlooking the beach.

"The plan is simple, we get down, make as large a distraction as we can, let Radara teleport in, grab Articuno and get out, before we get away ourselves." Thomas explained. "Try to just keep them busy, I'd prefer it if we could just scare them off or something. Disarm them or knock them out if you have you. Just avoid anything vital." He said that last part with a very firm look in his eyes and voice.

Looking down onto the beach, Thomas growls a bit, four men having tied Articuno down, so that even if she did wake up, she would be helpless. Three of the men were wearing basic grunt uniforms for Team Rocket, but it was the last man, wearing a large trench coat with a black letter R on the back that made things difficult. "Damnit, they brought an elite with them…" Thomas stated. "We have no choice, we have to fight this one, they won't turn back with him down there." He sighed a bit.

"We could always try to rush them, pin them all down and knock them out before they even know that we're here." Sarah says a bit worried herself. Thomas thinks it over as he draws his blade.

"We may not have much of a choice." He says as he looks at Aqua and Razor. Radara teleports down to them a few seconds later before Thomas could finish making any real decisions though and he sees her sigh as well, this just wasn't going to be easy. "Have you found a suitable hiding spot?" Thomas asks.

'_I believe so, it's a good ways up the mountain, right next to the waterfall we camped next to last time we were here.'_ Radara informs him. Thomas just nods as he slowly gets up.

"Well, let's make this as quick as possible." He says as he moves down the hill side trying to stay out of sight behind large pillars of ice for as long as possible, Sarah, and their pokemon minus Radara following along as well.

When he finally reaches the beach, Thomas waits for his pokemon before rushing out, immediately calling for a hydro pump and quick attack from his pokemon. Both Razor and Aqua do as commanded, aiming for the closest target as Thomas charges out, colliding into one of the grunts, knocking them back before charging for the elite.

Sarah quickly comes in to follow up on Thomas's charge, but rather then call out attacks, she does like she did in every contest. Rather then call out attacks by name, she trained her pokemon to respond to numerical commands, or routines as she called them. Each number assign to a specific attack, combination of attacks, or dance move that was often used to avoid attacks as well as cost her opponent additional contest points.

"Thirteen followed up with a twenty four twist." Sarah screamed out, both her umbreon and dragonair quickly dashing in. Her umbreon used a quick attack while her dragonair fired off a thunder wave attack, both at the same opponent proving rather effective, the grunt falling back into the frosted sand.

As Thomas charged forward and everyone else moved in towards the elite though, Radara made her move, quickly teleporting down next to Articuno. Rebecca's presence still very sharp in her mind, combined with part of Rebecca's aura helping her to focus in on the lucario, Radara easily completed her task.

Thomas could tell something was very wrong though as he dashed at the elite, all three of his grunts already down. Going into broadside the man with the flat end of his blade hoping to just knock him out in one swift strike, Thomas's eyes opened in shock. The elite had not only ducked down, but his trench coat had also opened up, revealing a distinct lack of pokeballs of any kind on his belt. To make matters ever worse, Thomas watched as the man grinned, a dark glint in his eyes as he drew his hand back and landed a powerful blow into Thomas's gut. The man was already standing back up before Thomas had a chance to recover, that dark glint now almost entirely over his eyes. "Radara, it's a trap!" He shouted out knowing that she should still be able to catch the message.

The man just smiled again, throwing Thomas back right into Sarah before she could give her pokemon any commands. "Now now Thomas. I can't have you going and spoiling my plans. Don't worry though, I won't kill them, maybe rough them up a bit, but I won't kill them." He grinned dashed over to where Thomas and Sarah had just gotten up off each other.

The man placed a hand on Sarah's gut, a dark aura over his hand before Sarah doubled over in pain, before he kicked her back into the sand where Articuno had just been, the light layer of fresh snow cushioning her fall. He quickly turned back to Thomas smiling. "I just needed to make sure that we had some time alone, without that little partner of yours getting in the way."

Razor had charged in now quickly coming to protect his master, but the elite proved even faster then the zangoose, a quickly boot kicking him back into the water, Aqua quickly racing after her mate.

Thomas pants hard looking around for his blade, seeing it a good ten feet away.

"Your not really that foolish are you?" The elite smiled looking over himself for a few before turning and moving to the side a bit. He easily reached out and grabbed Sarah's umbreon by the tail mid attack, before throwing the very surprised umbreon into the dragonair as she was getting ready to fire another thunder wave. "This body, it's a bit slow for my liking, but its still good enough for this." He smiled.

Thomas quickly went to dive for his blade as Sarah came up behind the elite, kubotans at the ready, trying to strike him just like Thomas had shown her. She was no where near ready for this though, the elite easily parried her move, then grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulling her down, planting a knee in her face, knocking her out for a few.

Thomas picked up his blade and kept it at his side, this time, he was ready to strike with fatal force if need me. "Who are you?" Thomas roars out very loudly rushing at him with as much fast as he could.

He came in, blade already raised, hoping to disable the elite's arm, but he was still too slow, the elite had caught him arm, turning around while keeping a good hold on Thomas's hand as he started to kneel down, essentially throwing face first into the sand.

"Now now Thomas, its not nice to treat your elders like this..." He grins for a second before pulling Thomas's face out of the sand to look him in the eye. "Or should I call you by your birth name… Soular. Your mother loves calling you by that name even though you seem to have forsaken it."

Thomas instantly looks him right in the eyes, now completely black. "It can't be…" His face goes white with fear, his deepest fear standing right here before.

"Its been just about six hundred and fifty six years since I last saw you in person." The elite grinned picking up, but tossing his sword to the side. "I thought it was time we have a face to face chat, knowing that our lovely feathered friend would be going into such a state like was, it presented the perfect excuse to get you out here, you always answer the call after all."

Thomas tried to shake the man off, but it didn't do much good. "It's way too early for you to be back, you just can't be here." Thomas cried not. "We sealed you away, stripped you of your powers."

"Well, your right to an extent." He smiled. "I am sealed, but like you know, time weakens any seal, even the one made by your mother. Of course, the fact that you never sealed me away completely helps. But enough with the little stuff, I'm here to talk about you." His smile grew as he threw Thomas back into the back. "Did you like my little gift I sent you?" He asks kneeling down, putting a hand on Thomas's shoulder, which he quickly shoves off before getting to his feet.

"What gift?" Thomas growls as he looks around for his sword, only to see the elite holding it in his hands. The elite smiles before his eye's flash and an image of himself and Rebecca appears in his head, both of them aged, the same exact that he had seen back at Diana's. "You sent that?" Thomas growls in anger. "Why would you send me that image?" He demanded.

"Mostly to torture you, you know you can 'never' have that, happiness, love, a family. Things a Watcher can never have." The elite smiles and tossed Thomas the blade who catches and charges in, but misses once again. "You do realize that your all just tools to her, that thing you call a mother." He grinned avoiding another blow, jumping clean over Thomas this time. "She stood back and let your kind die off, one by one, even after all those years that you served her, protected her. She let them get slaughtered, one after another, not even raising a single finger to protect you."

His grin only grew as he grabbed Thomas's arm again, this time twisting his wrist getting him to drop the sword again. "Look at you, so weak. Even after all these years alive. He quickly grabs and throw's Thomas's goggles off, Thomas wincing a bit at the sunlight, his eyes still very sensitive. "They will never accept you, not knowing what you are. They fear you, those humans fear anything more powerful then they are. You should rule over them, you are the child of a god after all, its your birth right, your destiny." He threw Thomas again, this time walking up and placing a boot over his neck to hold him down.

His skin was growing dark and quickly growing even darker. "This body can't hope to hope my power much longer, its far to weak, his mind dissolved a week after he invited me." He knelled down over Thomas. "I came here for one reason, you Soular. Cast off this false thing you call love for your mother, she doesn't care for you, she can never grant you what you want."

"Like you can really offer me anything?" Thomas grumbled trying to pulled the boot off his neck, even giving him the biggest shock he his body could hold at the time, but it did very little to the man.

"I can give you what you always wanted, a family, I can help to age, to grow old with her, even let her reincarnate with you if you so wanted it." He stated, his voice growing a bit weak now. "They call me a liar, say I tell no truth, but they are wrong. I show people what they want, no matter how dark or twisted those desires may be, and I have ways of making them become reality." He took his boot off Thomas's neck and took a few steps back. "Its my fault you want a happiness that can 'never' be yours. Join me and I'll make your dream a reality."

Thomas looks up at him, actually torn a bit, if this thing was telling the truth. He could have a real family of his own, be together with Rebecca and age along side her, even raise a child of his own, but how could he turn his back on his mother like that.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you or your friends if you don't answer me, you need time to think." He looks himself over again, the body starting to fall apart on him. "Such a weak minded fool, but he got exactly what he desired most, to be one of the most honored Rockets in history. All I want from you is an answer, it doesn't have to be anytime soon, when your ready to make your choice, trust me, I'll be there waiting." He states right as he falls to his knees. "I bid you farewell for now Soular." He says before the body falls over, a black mist flowing out of it before a foul stench fills the beach.

Thomas quickly gets up and rushes over to Sarah, Grabbing her pokeballs, he calls back her pokemon, then his own before shaking her trying to make sure she is okay.

xXx

A few minutes ago…

Radara quickly teleported back to the cave that they had picked out. It took her a few to look over Articuno before deciding that she had done a good job. _'I'm going back to help Thomas.'_ She informs Juno, Rebecca, and Flare. _'Are they still in the same area? I would hate to teleport back into a waiting trap.'_ She says looking to Rebecca as she uses her aura vision.

(So, how are you doing Juno?) Flare asks sitting next to Juno as he smiles as her. He puffs out his chest a bit still trying to impress her.

Juno sighs a bit, seeing this many times over the years. With this, she looks at him again, seeing how young he is compared to her, but he is nice looking to her though. She had asked Thomas for a few years to herself on occasion over their longs travels, spending some time with other males, but not many as impressed as he was. She couldn't help but actually start to consider it, when Rebecca trembled a bit as she looked them over.

'_Radara, I don't what I saw, but there was something dark down there…One of their aura's, its twisted, it … it….'_ Rebecca infroms them quickly, in a rather fearful tone. _'I'm going to help him.' _ Before Radara has a chance to say anything though, a powerful though enters her head.

'_Radara, it's a tr…'_ Radara quickly looks around, something very close is heavily blocking her powers now and she rushes out of the cave, followed by Flare, Juno, and Rebecca. _'Something is very wrong.'_ She says as she looks around feeling her powers being suppressed by some force.

Juno is the first to notice the cause of the problem, quickly pointing out the lone alakazam on the hill below, his arms in front of him, his spoons crossed, his entire body giving off a soft glow. _'What?'_ Radara growls a bit. _'There is no way that a single alakazam could be blocking my powers this effectively.'_

Flare looks around himself, only to point out a second pokemon quickly charging up the mountain side towards them, a blaziken.

He quickly charges down to meet this pokemon thinking it would be an easy way to impress to Juno, but he quickly learns otherwise when the blaziken jumps over him, grabbing his tail and giving a hard pull on it throwing him off balance. (Sorry pup, but your not going anywhere.) The blaziken smiles.

Radara starts to make her way around the battle, it was obvious that she would need to deal with the alakazam herself. In the same way her powers were suppressed, she knew that alakazam couldn't use his own psychic powers either, they were being uses to disable her own. Juno quickly moves to go help Flare seeing Radara heading to deal with her own problem, Rebecca joining Juno for now. Before Juno or Rebecca could get very far though, they were cut off when a machamp burst from the ice in front of them.

(Sorry ladies, but your not going anywhere.) He smirks flexing him muscles.

(So, you want to play too?) Juno asks growling, jumping back in time to avoid an ice punch, which she quickly counters with a fire blast, the two attacks canceling each other out much to Juno's surprise.

Flare recovers from the blaziken's attack soon enough though, once again on the offensive, diving in to tear the legs off of his foe with his massive jaws. When that failed and the blaziken jumped back, he let loose a flame thrower to try and distract him, but the blaziken used the same move to cancel them out, disappearing in the confusion.

Juno and Rebecca are left with hands full as well, the machamp giving them a massive run for their money. He easily shrugged off most physical attacks, forcing Rebecca to rely on her aura sphere's or risk getting hit badly when he countered. Not that Juno was fairing much better, most of her fire attacks were countered with his ice punch or he just side stepped them. She was once again forced to jump back as a hand came down, breaking the ice she had been standing on. She once again charged up a fire blast attack, the one attack he hadn't tried to counter yet, but it didn't do much good either. The machamp pulled a very large chunk of ice up from the ground, using that as a shield at first to defend himself, then using it as a weapon, chucking what was left right at Rebecca as she was trying to sneak around behind him.

Rebecca just barely managed to avoid that, but a powerful explosion shook her from behind, Flare's battle with the blaziken was just as intense as their own battle. Flare once again fired off a flame thrower, not directly at his foe, but at the ice he was standing on hoping to knock him off balance. Like everything else though, that failed as the blaziken jumped up. He quickly turned his maneuver into a high jump kick. Flare just barely managed to avoid it thinking that his foe had screwed himself, but it didn't happen. The blaziken landed hard on a pillar of ice, using it as a stepping stone to jump up even higher, before slamming himself into Flare's side.

Juno quickly went to try and help him again, but the machamp jumped right in front of her, a pair of hands raised over his head ready to slam down on Juno. She growled fiercly, launching another fire blast a point blank this time finally landing the first blow on him that hurt. He fell on his back, Juno going to jump over him, but yelped out when one of her hind legs had been grabbed. (That one actually hurt bitch.) The machamp stated rather angry now, throwing her into Rebecca, then jumping ready to bash their heads in. Rebecca was just barely able to fire off an aura sphere into the ice he was standing on, the ice shattering sending him once again falling over. Not only did he fall over this time though, he also slide a good ways down the mountain yelling as he went. Juno and Rebecca quickly got to their feet ready to go help Flare, but they were both once again thrown to the ground, the blaziken having used them as target practice throwing Flare right into them.

Radara finally made her way up to the alakazam, who smiled as she walked up. _'So, you're the famous Radara I've heard rumors of.'_ His thoughts were quiet loud in Radara's head as she walked up, looking him over, he had something strange about him.

'_You call me by name, yet I don't know you.'_ Radara replies, claws out, fangs displayed as well. She rarely had to rely on her physical strength in a fight, but she knew enough that she could hold her own.

'_Don't worry, you'll get to know me soon enough.'_ His smile grows as he looks her over. _'You don't think you can actually win without your psychic powers do you?'_ He smirks as a few stones rise up around him.

'_You've been very well trained, I'm impressed.'_ Radara growls ready to strike.

Flare, Juno, and Rebecca all once again stand themselves up, looking around for the blaziken, only to find him sitting on another pillar of ice, waiting for them. Juno goes to make the first move, but is quickly cut off when a large icy boulder is hurled right in front of her. (You to bitches are my dance partners.) The machamp roars out, very pissed off now as he charges them. Rebecca whines a bit, not liking this at all, but rushes in with Juno, both firing off a few simple projectiles to kept him busy while they try to move in for some point blank attacks.

Flare goes to attack the blaziken again, having his own score to settle right now, slamming into the ice pillar to knock the blaziken off. The blaziken merely jumps off the side behind it, kicking the top as he top the knock a large chunk of ice off the top which Flare jumps back to avoid.

Radara glares at the alakazam, jumping at him, only to have him take a few steps back as the stones he picked up gathered to form a small boulder and lashes out at her. She jumps back avoiding it, smiling as she felt a bit of a break in his concentration, this alakazam can't do both, block her powers and go on the offensive at the same time. _'You're not as strong as you think.'_ She smiled.

'_I don't have to be, I'm doing my job rather well right now.'_ He counters taking a few more steps back as Radara suddenly reaslizes what he's doing.

'_Who put you up this, why are you stalling.' _ She growls looking at him.

Juno charges in fast, melting the ice under his feet since he seems unable to keep his balance well on changing terrain while Rebecca slides on a bit of ice to get behind him, tackling his legs to try and force him into his back. It works well for the most part, but she wasn't able to get out from under him in time, he grabs her tail, pulling her towards him as he falls back, letting her go, but only causing her to fall into a hole. Juno quickly jumps on his chest while she has the chance though and while she takes a mean ice punch to the gut, she still manages to fire another fire blast in his face before she is throw off of him, her side very much chilled and part of her fur iced over.

Flare moves in ready to try and bite the legs off of his opponent again but like everything else, it doesn't work. He keeps losing sight of the blaziken in the changing icy terrain, only to get punched hard in the side again and sent rolling down the mountain a bit before he catches himself.

Radara once again charges in to try and disrupt the alakazam's concentration, but he only lets up enough to counter, before its right back countering her psychic powers as he puts a bit more distance between them. Radara tries hard once more to try and force him to divide up his concentration, but again it fails. This time though, he stops for a second before dropping his spoons and teleporting down to where the blaziken and machamp are.

'_Come on, time to go.'_ The alakazam states and the blaziken lands one last kick knocking off Flare's balance again before quickly rushing over to the alakazam as Radara teleports down as well.

(What? No way, I have to give these to a proper thrashing.) The machamp argues slamming his hands down creating another hole in the ice where Juno was just standing.

'_Would you disobey our master?'_ The alakazam counters immediately getting the machamp's attention.

(You two got off lucky today, but next time, I'm tearing you limb from limb.) He growls before dashing over to the alakazam's side. Before Radara could stop them, the three of them teleported off.

Radara is a bit confused at this, then suddenly remembers about Thomas and puts her mind to work trying to find him, feeling him very close. Turning around, she sees him and Sarah walking back towards them, the two of them just as worn out and beaten as Juno and the others.

She starts to move over to them, but Rebecca rushed past her to Thomas's side helping support him.

Juno and Flare follow along, Juno seeing Flare limping hard and going to help him, but he pushes her off, his pride obviously hurt just as much as his body as he takes a spot sitting next to Sarah. Juno couldn't help but really feel sorry for him.

Thomas remains quiet for the most part though, even after repeated attempts from Rebeca to try and find out what's wrong. Radara quickly walks up and he just looks at her. "It's… Its... back." Thomas says panting hard.


	14. Chapter 14

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

_'Character Thought'_

(pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Original author: The Shadow Master of Weapons

Beta Reader / Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 14

Sarah looks around feeling very drained from the last few days, her entire body sore from whatever that thing had done to her. She had been trying very hard to ignore the constant paging of her PokeNav, alerting her to a new e-mail every hour or so, if it waited that long. She knew that since she had left her phone behind, her mother was no doubt on the computer a lot writing her letter after letter wanting to talk with her once more. She still ignored it for now though, her thoughts going over the last few days. Her thoughts were split, mostly between what had just happened on the island, and how her last meeting with her parents went. The more she thought on it though, the more she found her thoughts replaying the events at The Cloyster for now. She knew that her father never entirely approved of her journey, but he always still supported her, if only a bit. How could he have been so arrogant though, much less attack Thomas like he did. She though that he liked Thomas. Either way, she'd have to talk with them sometime, not something she was looking forward to at all. After what happened on the island though, she couldn't help but think that it would be easier to handle them.

She looked around the cave that the group was in, a large fire in the middle, which kept the cave surprisingly warm. Articuno still seemed unresponsive, but Radara assured her that she was fine, she was still preparing for her reincarnation. All of their pokemon had been let out, allowed to rest however they pleased, and with that last fight though, it was easily understandable that most of them just rested around the fire, nursing their wounds. All of them expect Radara who wasn't really fighting and Sarah's sceptile and her lapras were beat up pretty badly, and Sarah had to wonder if even pulling them would have done any good anyway, not after how badly they were beaten.

Radara tried to comfort the group, even trying to comfort Sarah a bit as well, but she could care less after being thrown around like a rag doll. During that fight though, she did realize one thing. She knew now that they were in for some rough times, the gap between herself and her pokemon against this thing was huge and that meant that she would need to train harder then ever before in her life to try and keep herself and her pokemon safe. She had fought against various criminal organizations, several vicious trainers, and even when the odds were stacked against her, she always found a way to get out it. That was what made her such a good coordinator and trainer. For the first time though, she had been tossed aside as if she was the first time trainer taking on a champion.

She had a hard understanding of fear now as she replayed the events in her head again, watching as her pokemon were tossed around just as badly as she was. That thing never once even really tried to attack her, it just kept throwing them back at her. She was knocked out real fast, only to wake up a while later with her pokemon all around, worried that she had been seriously hurt.

She thought about leaving Thomas, telling him that she couldn't handle this kind of thing, but she always pushed those thoughts out of her head. He needed help now, and lots of it, if she left, then he'd be alone to take this thing on. Thinking of Thomas again though, she takes another look around, but notices that he is missing from the group again. Not that it was really surprising, he had spent the last few days mostly on his own doing something, Sarah could only guess that he was training from the way he seems so tired the few times she did see him.

She once again pulls out her pokeblock kit, hoping that it help her deal with the stress of the situation like it normally did. She picks up some berries that their pokemon had gathered from around the island and threw them a bit hard into a bowl. She didn't realize how hard on the berries she was being, easily bruising a few, smashing a few others as she slammed her fist into the bowl. "Oh, why can't one or two of the legendaries just volunteer to join up with us." Sarah grumbled as she looks up only to see her umbreon and Razor there, both of them with berries, both also taking a few steps from her with a look of fear as they look at the crushed berries in the bow thinking it might be them next. She sighed a bit and dropped her head a bit feeling sorry for scaring them like that.

She gets up and walks over to them, patting them gently on the head to let them know its okay before another small wave of negative emotions flows into her mind. She quickly realizes that she had been unknowingly letting Radara's feelings flood into her mind, her worry and anger. Looking over, she sees Radara pacing a bit in the corner of the cave, in deep thought.

She understands the reason for how Radara feels right now though as she sits back down, this time weary of the extra emotions in her head. She relaxes a bit as she once again tries to make some pokeblocks, with a bit more success this time when Thomas once again shows up in the cave.

As usual, Rebecca is holding onto his arm, a light layer of snow on her, but Thomas is nearly snow free. She had asked him a few times about what he was doing all this time on the island, always getting the same lie, that he was patrolling the island for other threats with Rebecca. She knew it was a lie though, the amount of snow Rebecca gathered on her compared to Thomas told her that she was often sitting still for a long while he probably trained him. Once in the cave though, he quickly swept the snow of Rebecca before taking a spot by the fire.

"Thomas, do you want some berries?" She asked a bit worried herself for him, she had yet to see him actually eat anything since the fight. Rebecca growled her as soon as Sarah opened her mouth though. Sarah did her best to ignore it, but Rebecca had grown a bit aggressive towards her lately. She could only assume that it was because she was trying to protect Thomas after he had been beaten so badly and Sarah could understand that, but she still felt that there was no need for her to be so aggressive about it though.

Thomas quickly calmed Rebecca down, her smile returning to her face enough as she leaned on him. Radara quickly walks over to Thomas, looking at him, but he just ignores her. She could tell that Radara was getting annoying fast, the feelings once again bleeding into her mind, before Rebecca says something in her native tongue rather then with her aura speech.

A powerful lash of anger fills Sarah's mind for a few as Thomas gets up and grabs some berries before he once again leaves the cave. Sarah waits a few before she gets up and takes a seat next to Radara. "Still no luck?" She asks.

'_He's completely ignoring me.' _Radara growled, her tail swaying behind her a bit roughly. _'He has shut me out completely. He needs to get out of this rut of his.'_

Sarah sighs once more knowing that the day is just going to get harder. "Can't you push him out of it, I thought you were the one that kept him in check." She asks recalling a few talks she had had with Radara ever since she found Radara could talk with her. "Can't you just kick him out of it or something?"

'_You do realize that he's shut me out completely. He's acting like a child again, just like he did when he found out his last mate died. If Articuno wasn't in her current state, I'd give him the wake up call he needs.'_ Radara says rather annoyed looking over to the still unconscious bird.

"Then tell him to stop hanging around Rebecca for a bit. I think he's pushed everyone out to hide his aura from her, he doesn't want to worry her. I think she knows what's going on, but hanging around Thomas like she is, I think she's just happy with that right now." Sarah says slowly, Rebecca was the only one of the bunch right now that seemed to be actually happy right now.

'_Maybe your right, I don't want Rebecca to be mad at me, but I need to talk with Thomas one on one, he can't stay like he is. I'll ask Razor and Aqua to help try and keep her busy for a bit. Articuno needs him to be at his best right now, anyone could capture her right now.'_

"Why not ask Juno for some help?" Sarah asks as she looked around only to notice that Juno and Flare and also not in the cave.

'_Juno has her own issues to deal with. She is watching over your arcanine, who also seems to be in the same slump as Thomas, but for different reasons.'_ Radara says. _'I believe she can handle him though.'_

"Huh?" Sarah looks at him.

'_I was sure that I thought I made you aware of his condition. He has a crush on Juno and apparently losing in front of her has left him doubtful of his own abilities.'_ Radara stated.

Sarah nodded, she had noticed that Flare was acting down. He was always one to explore though, and she never thought too much about his absence until now. "I see."

'_Sarah, could you please help me, I need to make sure that I can talk with Thomas alone, whatever that thing did to him, he can't stay like this.'_ Radara looks up at her. Sarah nods lightly she would help.

xXx

Flare was panting hard, he had found himself a nice secluded beach to train on. The air here bites at him hard, being a fire type, the chilled air continuously take a toll on him, but he ignores it, he has to train harder.

It wasn't the fact that he had lost that upset him so much, he had lost to others before, but to be beaten in front of Juno was hard. Not only that, but that blaziken had never once took him seriously, he constantly kept toying with him. Flare growled loudly, letting loose a large flame thrower on an icy pillar.

He had a large crush on Juno ever since he was a growlithe and he first met Juno when Sarah met back up with Thomas a few years back. Her fur was perfect in his eyes, she moved with an unseen grace when she attacked, he just couldn't help but want her. Then Thomas split ways with Sarah and he was worried that he would never see her again. During that time, he evolved into an arcanine. He was proud of his strength and power, earning the praise of not only his trainer, but many other trainers, even a few breeders who had asked Sarah if they could use him for a while. Sarah always left the decision up to him though, and he constantly turned them down. He knew it would just be a short 'love' at best, not what he wanted.

Now he was once again traveling with Juno's trainer, and he thought that he could finally have her. He thought he could show her how much of a worthy mate he was and finally have the love he wanted. He was more then ready to show her his worth.

That damn blaziken though, it changed his plans. He seemed to mock him the whole time during their fight. He never really attacked, yet more or less avoided direct battle with Flare. That's what made things so bad. No matter how hard Flare attacked, that blaziken only seemed to play with him, never taking him seriously. It was as if Flare was beneath him. He had seen this a lot with other trainers and even in contests. The stronger pokemon always played with the weaker, it was more fun that way then to actually take them serious, the same thing that the blaziken had done to Flare. Flare couldn't help but grow even more angrier at his lost now, that blaziken took the battle as nothing more than a game. He roared out before charging into another icy pillar.

(How long are you to cry there, you over grown puppy.) Flare quickly turned in anger, ready to strike whoever was there, only to see Juno standing at the entrance to the beach.

(I'm not crying! It just cold out here, it stings even with all this fur.) He shakes his face a bit, trying to clear himself of all the snow, still trying to look directly at her.

(Then come back to the cave where it's warm you big fool.) Juno stated as she walks over to him.

(I'm busy. I need to train.) He growled a bit. (I need to…) He tries to walk past Juno, but she cuts him off.

(What you're trying to do is kill yourself like this. You'll be no help to anyone if you freeze yourself out here.) She states firmly.

He once again tries to move past her. (I…. I… Look, I have to do this, please understand.) He is once again cut off, but tries to get past her again, only to hear her growl and slam one of her tails down very hard in front of him, the glow of a fading Iron Tail attack showing that she wasn't just going to let him past.

(No, you listen. If I wanted a male to protect me, I would have asked Thomas to let that nidoking join the team a while back. I didn't ask you to prove anything to me. You are older now, but to me, you're still a puppy the way you act.) Juno growls a bit.

He looks at her in anger. He tries one more time to move around her, only to have her attack him. He just barely managed to avoid her claws when she jumped at him.

(Why are you doing this? I don't want to hurt you.) He starts to growl himself. She just smiles and releases a Fire Blast at him. He plows through the fire attack though, but he quickly sees that the attack wasn't meant to hurt, only to distract him as he feels a pair of tails slam into his side. He roars at her trying to take her off balance as he jumps ready to actually attack now, but she easily jumps back herself dodging his move.

He growls even more as she jumps onto his back, claws just barely digging into his sides before she jumps off of him before he can counter. He quickly turns, but Juno is still one step ahead of him, diving under him clawing at his legs before once again sliding away.

(How you doing this?) He roars out going to tackle her, but only slamming himself into the wall.

(You rely too much on your trainer.) Juno replies. (You're strong, and you've grown a lot since we last met, but you're still just a puppy to me. I'm much older and wiser then you, that's why you can't touch me.) Juno explains, quickly using another Iron Tail to push him back when charged her again. (You're a wonderfully trained pokemon, and that's not a bad thing, but without your trainer, you hesitate. That's how that blaziken was able to defeat you so easily. He could see that you weren't following your instincts. There were several times you could have attacked him when he left himself open, but you've grown too use to waiting for a command.)

Hearing these truths, Flare backs down a bit, he looks away knowing now that it was true. She was scolding him just like the puppy she had called him. He fought as normal trained pokemon would, always expecting Sarah's help and waiting for her to call an attack. He was constantly thinking that it was battle, with rules and terms, not a real fight. (Juno…) He speaks softly a bit ashamed of himself. (Will you help me?)

Juno smiles standing down as she moves over to his side, licking lightly at the one single open wound she gave him on his side. (I would be glad to help you find your true potential) She smiled.

xXx

It took a long while, but at last Thomas had returned back to the cave. Radara and Sarah had managed to con Aqua and Razor into helping them, although Razor had to be given a bit of extra incentive, wanting more berries for his trouble. They got even luckier when Juno showed back up with Flare, and was more then willing to help.

Between the three of them, Juno was the one to get Rebecca to get away from Thomas. As soon as Rebecca had stepped a few feet away from Thomas though, Radara moved in, quickly wrapping her tail around Thomas's leg and teleporting them both to the other side of the island.

"Radara, what the hell?" Thomas yelled out very angry with her.

'_No, you will not avoid this like you have avoiding me like I had a cold virus.'_ Radara snapped at him. _'You will listen to me and you will listen now. I know your afraid of what happened, but we can still win. Like you said he still hasn't fully..'_

Thomas quickly cuts her off. "You don't understand Radara, he ripped me to pieces, he wasn't even trying to fight me, he kept me busy and only wanted to talk. He showed me my deepest desires, to have a family, to have someone to be with in this existence. He said he could give Rebecca the power to reincarnate, I'd never have to be alone again!" Thomas yelled as she could hear his voice break a bit .

'_You know he lies, he always lies. He can't give her that power.' _Radara countered.

"I know what I felt and I felt truth in his words." Thomas growls. "Part of me wants to truly believe him. I could lead a normal life for once, have a family. I would kill for that chance, it's the one thing I want more then anything else!" Thomas yells out. "I know you want the same thing, we share a mind after all. I know you want a litter of cubs to one day call your own, cubs to call you mother."

She stiffens a bit as his words hit right on the mark. She had wanted her own real litter for a long time, to have family just like Thomas wanted. _'You know we cannot have that life. For argument sake, let's say he can grant you a family, let you raise a child. Would you forsake the world, our immortal brothers and sisters, the legendaries, even your own mother, Arceus, god of this world just for this dream.'_

Radara's words spark his own anger, a soft glow surrounding him as he begins to spark with electricity, bit of snow slowly beginning to circle around him as he growls at her.

'_How would Rebecca feel if you abandoned everything you are?' _A sudden image of Rebecca's smile though quickly causes him to stop. Her words hit him just as hard as his words hit her as she prepared herself for a fight in case he attacked, but he stopped thinking hard about that question. The snow around him falls back to the ground, as the electricity in his hands fades away.

After a few, he smiles a bit at her, not a large smile, but still a smile. "Thanks for your help. I guess I have been the fool." He kneels down and scratched her chin a bit. "I'm sorry for acting this way, its just he knew exactly what to do to make me question myself." He said. "You're right, he can't give me anything." Radara smiles herself now seeing that he's finally starting to get back to his normal self, even if there's still a lot of doubt in him. "Let's get back to the cave, Rebecca was must be worried about me by now."

Radara nods as she moves next to him waiting for him to tell her he's ready this time before teleporting back to the cave, only to find something they did not expect.

xXx

A few minutes ago…

It took a long while, but at last Thomas had returned back to the cave. Radara and Sarah had managed to con Aqua and Razor into helping them, although Razor had to be given a bit of extra incentive, wanting more berries for his trouble. They got even luckier when Juno showed back up with Flare, and was more then willing to help.

Between the three of them, Juno was the one to get Rebecca to get away from Thomas. As soon as Rebecca had stepped a few feet away from Thomas though, Radara moved in, quickly wrapping her tail around Thomas's leg and teleporting them both to the other side of the island.

Rebecca quickly snapped the second Thomas was taken from her. _'What did you do?'_ Rebecca was already bearing her fangs at the lot of them.

(Hey, it was Radara's idea.) Razor stated.

Aqua just face palmed. (You coward, why did you tell her?) She growls a little herself looking at him.

Razor shrugs a bit looking at her. Rebecca growls even louder as she quickly storms off to go and find Thomas only to find Sarah in the cave entrance, blocking her from leaving. "Rebecca, they need to talk with each other alone right now. He'll be back, you just have to wait." Sarah says calming hoping to give Radara enough time to try and set Thomas straight.

Rebecca, in her anger, let's her imagination run a bit wild. _'No! I know what your doing, your trying to take him from me.'_ Rebecca shouts out.

(Rebecca, please calm down, you're going into heat again.) Juno walks up from behind her to help make sure that Rebecca doesn't try to attack Sarah when Rebecca bared her teeth at Sarah.

"You know what, I've tried to be nice about this, but I've had it with you. Radara told me you tried to push me out of bed back in Carter City. I told you I would stop my advances on him!" Sarah yelled back.

'_Liar. I hear you mumbling in your sleep about professing your love for him. You still love him and I will not let you have him.'_ Rebecca went to make a move, but Juno took her own stance, ready to defend Sarah.

Sarah listens on, being limited to only being able to understand Rebecca, she fails to tell that she is going into heat. "Rebecca, your blowing this way out of proportion. Thomas chose you to be his mate, not me. Your acting like a spoiled brat." She stated.

'_No! I will not be talked down by you. You can't have him, you would never make him happy!'_ Rebecca yelled.

Fed up with her enough, Sarah snaps herself. "Happy, you think he's happy with you when you're acting like this? Crying, threatening to hurt others around you? What could you do to make him happy when your acting like some girl without her favorite doll."

Radara and Thomas finally teleport back in just in time for Rebecca's next comment.

In her heat, Rebecca really only had one thing on her mind right now. _'I can make him feel good in bed, something I know you could never do.'_ She screamed. Suddenly seeing Thomas there though, she turned red not believing she had actually said that as she quickly came to her senses, her paws covering her mouth.

Everyone looks at her in a bit of shock, before Thomas finally caught the weak smell of her heat. "Rebecca, are you in heat?" he asked a bit confused, lucario's normally only went into heat about once every three months. Sarah hearing the comment, suddenly felt a bit bad, not knowing that Rebecca actually had a bit of real need to be around Thomas.

'_Thomas, that thing's toying with her, he's forced her heat to come early…_' Radara stated very confused, but also very worried having felt a slight pulse with in Rebecca.

Thomas quickly looked down at Radara, then back to Rebecca kneeling down a bit to her height. "Rebecca, are you okay?" He asked looking at her concerned. She was still blushing, not sure what had come over her yet, but quickly hugged him.

'_I'm sorry Thomas, I didn't mean to cause any problems.'_ She whined a little bit. Thomas put himself to hard work, searching her mind to see if anything else had been done to Rebecca, Radara also searching her mind as well.

'_Thomas, it's alright, that thing is just messing with us.'_ Radara gave a small sigh of relief before she quickly shooed everyone back inside minus Thomas and Rebecca. _'Go, be with her, she needs you.'_ Radara said quietly into Thomas's mind alone. _'There is a small, but warm cave a little ways up the mountain. It's a small flower grove, you should be warm enough in there.'_ Thomas nodded, the mention of the place quickly brought memories of when he helped plant the small grove a few life times ago.

"Rebecca, come with me." Thomas smiled and wrapped an arm around her lightly leading her up to the small grove. It was a slightly hurried walk to the small cave, barely even an eighth of the size of the cave the rest of the group was in, but it was lit a series of luminescent stones along the roof, and a small pool of water in the middle. "My mother blessed this place for Articuno, to give her a garden of her own." Thomas explained as Rebecca walked in to see the grove of snow white roses. "It was her own private sanctuary on this island of ice." He smiled letting her roam around a bit, he would let her make the first move if she wanted him, doubly so after having her heat thrust upon so quickly and what had happened last time. He really didn't want to bring up any bad memories of it.

Rebecca smiled herself, enjoying the small garden, but soon her heat won out as she began to whine a little bit moving back to him. _'Thomas…'_ She spoke softly, a bit worried herself about her heat, but also about what had happened last time.

"I promise you, I won't do anything you don't want me." He leaned down and kissed her lightly, a somewhat awkward kiss as she had a snout and he did not, but they made it work. When it was over, Thomas smiled as he gently leaned her back, kneeling over her as placed a hand on bottom of her shirt. She nodded lightly after a few and Thomas slipped his hand under it, slowly pulling her shirt off. He slid a hand under her shirt as he did so, gently running it over her stomach, up to her chest spike and sliding the shirt off of it revealing her breasts. She blushed a bit, giving a small gasp as the shirt rubbed her nipples a bit as he pulled it off, finally revealing her breasts to him.

He grinned a bit, closing his eyes as he quickly recalled a few past life times where he had played with a couple of lucarios. "Rebecca, may I try something?" He asked as he looked over her body, finally having her taken her shirt completely off.

She looked at him a bit worried, but nodded again. _'You'll be gentle right, not like that… that thing?'_ She asked, Thomas knowing that she was talking about that ivysaur.

Thomas happily smiled, nodding as he took her hand. "If I do something you don't like, a single force palm right here will knock me out." He placed her hand on the center of his chest, right at the very bottom of his rib cage. "A single hit right here will literally cause me to short out, sending a massive jolt through my body." He told her softly knowing that he just gave her his greatest weakness. She looked at him a bit concerned, but his aura told her that he trusted her and was telling the truth. She nodded again and Thomas held up a hand, closing his eyes again as a very small spark formed in his hand, fading away to almost nothing. She looked at him a bit worried and he just smiled back waiting for her. She nodded again and he gently placed his hand on the underside of her breast, a very gentle shock filling her breast. She moaned out, this light tingling feeling in her breast was wonderful and she soon found herself enjoying it a lot as he began to massage her breast, doing the same thing to her right breast now. She arched her back a bit, leaning into him a bit more as he worked. He knew just where to touch, his past lives helping him please her properly, being as gentle as he could even as a tent formed in his pants.

His body was wanting its own attention now, but he put her needs in front of his, habits of his past lives coming up, he wouldn't take advantage of her heat. Moving one hand to the center of her chest just over her chest spike, he moved his other hand down to her shorts and slowly began to take them off her. She felt him move his hand on her waist and lightly pull her shorts down a bit. She was already very wet, wanting more and she moaned a bit louder urging him on.

Thomas kept up his work, sliding his hand on her shorts around to her tail, gently slipping that from the small hole in the back of the clothing and easing it out so that he could slip her shorts off her hips and down her legs. He took a second to playfully rub her clit though. She relaxed as best she could to let him pull her shorts off. With his one hand still between her breasts, giving her a pleasant series of shocks though, she was having a bit of trouble staying still, but he managed.

With that task done, he focused a bit of electricity again into his free hand, and dimmed it down before gently rubbing her folds, his hand quickly getting wet. As soon as his hand touched her there though, she gasped out, really arching her back in pleasure. He smiled and leaned over her kissing her neck a bit. "Rebecca, I'm sorry for letting that monster claim you, I should have found a way to help you before it became a problem." He said slipping a finger into, giving her a nice, but very controlled jolt. She cried out, her body reacting heavily to his finger.

Looking down, she could see the large tent in his pants and went to reach for it. _'Thomas… please…" _She begged a bit, her heat in control for the most part. He shifted just enough to stop her though.

"No, you need this more then me." He kissed her again. "I won't take you in the heart of your heat. Once you've calmed down and want me, not out of heat, but as your lover, then I shall mate you." He said sending her another pair of jolts, one from the pair of fingers he now had sliding around inside her and one for the hand between her breasts. She gave a small howl of pleasure as she found her much needed release, a gush of her fluids flowing over his hand, her walls flexing over his fingers.

He kept up his work all the while though, making sure that she enjoyed herself as much as possible. It took a few seconds for her to really calm down, before she looked at him, rather needy. _'Thomas, please.'_ She reached out and grabbed his belt. _'Please, I want you in me…' _She said, Thomas still able to smell a bit of her heat. He looked at her for a few, before nodded. He normally would avoid mating a female when they were in heat, but Rebecca really wanted him, not just because of her heat this time. He let her undo his belt and his pants fell soon enough.

Rebecca let out an irritated growl though, he still had his boxers on and Thomas had to keep her from just tearing through them, pulling them off himself letting his member free. It was nice and tall and Rebecca eagerly looked at him as she laid back. "I'm going to have to go slow, you're a bit smaller then I am." He said as he leaned over her again.

'_No_…'Rebecca whined a bit, very much still in need. _'Please, let me take it all.'_

Thomas looked at her, leaning down to kiss her again as he rubbed himself over her. She gave another needy whine and Thomas finally submitted that she wouldn't wait much longer, slipping his head into her. She tight, his head alone spreading her wide, but she didn't care, this was what she wanted and she gasped out in pleasure, wrapping her legs over to try and pull him in deeper. Thomas smiled a bit, leaning back down over her. He lifted her ass up with one hand, letting him slip in much deeper, but he was still very careful with her, paying much more attention to her pleasure then his own.

While he kept sliding into her, he gently placed a finger right under her tail, giving her a few more addition pleasant shocks, his cock even giving a few off as well. She moaned very loudly, he felt so good in her and this odd tingling of electricity flowing through her only made it that much better. She looked up at him, quickly kissing him again, already on her way to another climax in her heat.

Her entire body was very sensitive and the more electricity he seemed to share with her, the more pleasure she got, gasping out loudly, cumming hard when she felt him suddenly bottom out, his cock giving her a good pleasant jolt. He groaned a bit himself, her already tight pussy now flexing and clamping down over his cock. He still had a little bit more of his cock left out, but he wouldn't try to push that in if he could help it, he knew that she was small for him.

He couldn't control himself entirely though, his body sparking up even more, but Rebecca only cried out louder. He slowly pulled out just as she started to calm down, then pushed back in, setting a bit of a fast pace to start with. She made no objections at all though, already moaning again as he started to massage her chest again, as well as the base of her tail.

Thomas was enjoying himself just as much as Rebecca now, but still worked hard to keep himself from shocking her too much. He groaned out again, starting to increase his pace a bit as he lifted her ass up a bit more.

Rebecca began to cry out a bit louder, her heat finally starting to fade a bit as she got the relief she desired. She wrapped her legs around him a bit more, still trying to get him in all the way, but Thomas had enough control to keep himself from hilting. He didn't want to her hurt her, but he smirked a bit, giving her a few more jolts, even testing a few things, running his thumb over her ass, shocking different spots, seeing where she liked his special skills the most.

Now both of them were moaning out, Thomas even growling a bit. He slipped his thumb down between her legs, just barely rubbing the very bottom of her pussy, Rebecca giving a loud gasp, arching her back and wrapping her tail over his hand, holding it there. He smiled thrusting into her a bit harder, letting his cock shock her a bit more now, as well as his hands. He leaned down and kissed her once more, finally cumming himself now, the feeling his cum filling her causing her to cum as well. She howled out again, this time rather loudly, finally biting onto his shoulder to try and keep herself quiet. Thomas winced a bit, but mostly shrugged it off.

Thomas held her tightly, feeling her calm down slowly over him. She open her eyes slowly and quickly jerked her head back. _'Thomas, I'm so sorry.'_ She whined seeing the bite marks in his shoulder as a little blood seeped from it.

"No, don't worry about it." He smiled kissing her to reassure her that it was fine. "Its perfectly fine, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

'_But_…' She started, only to find a finger on her lips.

"No, don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Your fangs don't bother me." He said wrapping his arms around her, before carefully rolling over. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it over them, making sure that she was nice and warm. She whined a bit more, licking at his shoulder. "Rebecca, its perfectly fine." He said lifting her chin a bit and getting her lay her head down on his other shoulder. "It's nothing, really."

He then reached around and began to massage her shoulder, giving her a few more gentle shocks to help ease her to sleep. "Come on, I make bet they won't even be there in the morning." He kissed her neck one more time. "Just get some sleep, its been a long day and I'm sure you'll finally sleep well tonight." He gave his own small yawn. "Good night my love."


	15. Chapter 15

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 15

Deserted Ranger Tower…

Sinnoh Region…

The normally quiet abandoned ranger tower was far from it as its new occupants quickly start making a mess with their argument.

A large engine block is thrown at the alakazam, but it never hits, instead bouncing off a large green barrier and smashing into the walls. (I told you...you worthless psychic!) The machamp yells out in anger as he looked at the much smaller pokemon. (I told you I could take them all on! Those bitches will die by my hands! I will make them beg for mercy, then kill them!) His muscles ripple a bit with all the power he has in his body right now, three of his four hands having charged up one of the three elemental punches, the last one flipping the alakazam off.

The blaziken just ignores them both as he seems to be shadow boxing a bit, merely keeping himself a bit busy and staying in shape as the machamp plows his fists into large jeep, easily smashing the old vehicle.

The alakazam has finally had enough, raising a hand as a light surrounds the machamp and paralyzes him.

'_Enough!'_ The alakazam's voice is much stronger then usual, his voice heard firmly in the heads of all of those around him. _'You will follow the master's orders as we all do. We were told not to touch him until he has an answer for our lord. We are not to interfere with his quest for now.' _The alakazam smiles a bit, his voice much calmer now. _'His human friends, as well as their pokemon are fair game though.'_

The machamp cries out in rage again. (That means I can't touch those bitches now. I don't care about that whore's pokemon, none of them are any trouble. Hell, bird brain over there proved she can hardly train her pokemon at all, that mutt didn't even put up a real fight.)

The blaziken stops his training and looks at the machamp. (Look you muscle brained fool, you would have lost an arm if you fought him. He may not be a strong as you were, but that maw of his would have ripped one of your arms clean off for a snack. You assume that just because your so strong, that makes you unstoppable.) He he walks over to the machamp and looks him over. (He wouldn't have fought you head on like he did with me, any sane pokemon would know that would be suicide. There was a reason I didn't give him the chance to land a blow on me. I could feel his anger, his feral side coming out and if he would have hit me once, he wouldn't have let go until one of us was dead.)

The machamp laughs a bit a he points to him with two of his arms. (Of course he couldn't hit, your part lopunny hopping around the place so much.)

(I just knew that fighting him head-on would have lost me a limb. Surely you noticed how easily those girls danced around all your so called great strength.) The blaziken smirks as he looks back.

The machamp growls as he looks at the blaziken flexing his muscles again. (Look bird brain, they would have been ripped to shreds if I…) He pauses as he suddenly takes notes of his own words.

The blaziken just smiles. (I see I was able to make you use that muscle called a brain. Yes, he would have ripped anyone of my limbs off if he gotten the chance, I'm not as brainless as you are. I was train… I was taught to be smarter in my battles, not just jump in guns blazing as…) He pauses himself as he looks away.

The machamp smiles now as he looks at the silenced blaziken. (Oh, you mean that human who owned you at one time. Why the hell did you let that bi-) The blaziken never gives the machamp a chance to finish his word as a flaming clawed fist smashes into his nose, sending him flying back into the wall, leaving another dent behind on it.

(Don't you dare speak of her you fucking bastard.) The blaziken's flames are burning fiercely in his rage. (You have no right to speak of her.) His flames continue to grow around him as the machamp pulls himself from the wall.

(Bring it bird boy.) The machamp flexes his muscles again as he prepares for a fight, the blaziken already charging in to attack. Before either of them can get started though, the remains of a pair of stripped jeeps and thrown between them, tearing down a whole wall from the force they were thrown with. Both of them quickly turn to the alakazam, his eyes glowing fiercely now with his power.

'_Enough of these childish games!_ His voice echoes hard in both of their heads as his power forces them away from each other.

(You're nothing but a weak psych…) The machamp looks to the alakazam only to grab his throat, an unseen hand having grabbed and started to visibly crush his throat. Despite all his strength, he is still powerless to stop the alakazam from blocking off his flow of air.

'_I am far from weak. Before our master found me, I was far more powerful then I should have been. I was nearly driven insane with my own power, the power that many said was a blessing to me. He saved me from that insanity, teaching me how to control and master it. For that, he has my loyalty. You both squabble as if you're pups fighting over who is right. The master has given an order, an order that will be followed. Is that understood?'_ His voice continues to echo in their heads as he finally releases that machamp who falls to his knees, two hands holding him up, his other two holding his throat.

As he gets up, he quickly walks back to his corner of the room as the blaziken walks to his, shaking his head a bit to deal with the headache that the alakazam's voice had caused. Both of them quickly turn though when they hearing a clapping in the background. A lucario with no hand spikes and a houndoom both walk in through the new door to the room. _'That was a nice display of power you fools.'_ He laughs as he walks in and sits down on a torn out seat from one of the jeeps, the houndoom taking a spot right next to him.

The machamp just flips him off with all four of his arms. (Up yours mutt. And just where the hell were you when we went to battle them? He told us we all had to be there.)

'_I was doing the job I had been assigned to do.'_ He quickly replies as he pets his fire type companion, the houndoom quiet pleased with the attention.

The alakazam just looks to him. _'Did you convince the zoroarks to join us or have they chosen to keep to themselves.'_

'_They said no.'_ He grinned. _'So I just gave them something to think about.'_

The alakazam shakes his head. _'The master told you not to do things that might upset the watcher. He needs him to join us willingly.'_

The lucario just shrugs. _'I simply disposed of the weak. He most likely would have done the same._' * He nods to the machamp.

(Hey, I don't kill unless it's to prove that I am stronger of them all. Which I would have done just by being there.) The machamp smirked. (They looked at you pup and saw how small you were, its no wonder they thought you were weak.)

'_They learned as all have that I am not some weak pup.'_ He quickly walks over to the machamp and traces a paw gently over his muscle filled chest. _'I could show you how strong I really am.'_ He says with a lusty smile.

The machamp jumps back. (Get the fuck off me you freak!) He shouts out.

The lucario laughs out in a loud and mocking manor at the machamp's reaction. _'If your strong, you shouldn't worry about your sexual preference. If your powerful, you can have anyone, male or female. The world is your bitch.' _The lucario smiled turning his gaze to see the alakazam looking at him.

'_The female is off limits, as are all of his pokemon. I know what you're thinking even without my powers. I know you lust for her. As you say, you can have anyone, yet I can tell you only see her. I know it's a primal lust, but I can see that you want to destroy the bond they have, you despise it. You think it makes them weak.'_ The alakazam states. _'You hate them for a bond you never had.'_ The last words strike a nerve hard as an aura sphere flies just inches from his head into the wall behind him.

'_Shut the fuck up you worthless fool.'_ The lucario shouts out, quickly gathering a very dark aura. _'You know nothing!'_

'_No, I hit the mark with that one. You have to evolve without that bond you lucarios usually have. Yes, it proves your strong. I assume those around you told you they felt with that bond with the humans and others. It made you sick which is why it was so easy to kill to them. It was only luck that we found before the humans or your old pack did. They would have put you down like the rabid dog you were.'_ The alakazam states rather bluntly.

The houndoom next to the lucario whines a bit loudly as the lucario growls in rage, his aura growing for a few then stopping. _'No, I won't sub come to what I once was. I live to serve the master now.'_

'_Good, you do know to keep your mind then.'_ The alakazam nods pausing for a few. _'Well, our other companions have reported and informed the knights of his location so they will what is needed to push him where we need to.'_

The blaziken looks at him a bit puzzled. (Wait, you said that we were not allowed to do anything to them?)

'_And we are not doing anything to them...directly. It's not my fault that the knights now know where they are. They should move soon so they are not attacked by those self-righteous fools. If only they knew just who they were truly serving.' _ The alakazam smiles. _'Besides, it'd be a shame if Radara was injured by them.'_

The machamp growls a bit as he sighed. (I knew it, you like that pink bitch. You wanted to take her that day, you could have knocked her out, or killed before she knew what happened, but you just suppressed her powers.)

The alakazam looks to him. _'I am not some muscle bound horny mon like you are, who thinks with his cock. I know what I truly am. I could have any female… ANY! Break their will and make them mine. Yet, what would I ever get out of it. A fuck toy , a mindless fool. I want an equal. Only the watcher's partner will do. She will see in time I can give what she always wanted, a lifelong partner, not just one to give her her next form. One to be with besides that watcher.'_

The blaziken merely watches for now, finally speaking up after a few. (So, we can't attack them directly then. What about the human he travels with?"

The alakazam gets into his meditative state as he folds his legs under himself, then begins to just float about a foot off the ground, the room slowly cleaning and repairing itself to a large degree. _'The mast said nothing about them my feathered friend. They are fair game. They do post a threat to him so if they happen to die… well, things happen when humans travel. Especially to those who travel with the watcher. A war is coming, we have chosen our side in this conflict. When it's time for us to fight, we must ready to serve him. We live to serve him. All other whims, needs, and other thoughts are to be put aside. We live to serve him and no one else.'_ He floats around the room a bit before looking to them all as they all nod.

The machamp looks around for a second, then notices something. (Hey, where is that other bitch at? She's supposed to be here as well.)

The blaziken shakes his head a bit. (She is a law upon herself. She never listens to anyone, even our esteemed team leader.) He nods to the alakazam.

The alakazam just sighs now. _'She is… our lord has told me she will not work with us. She will follow his words, but not with us. She will not hinder us, but as he as told me, she does not play well with others. Our objectives are the same though. Just a word of warning though, don't expect help from her even if you do see her. Also, do not try to help her, she will most likely just attack you.'_

The machamp scoffs at this. (That bitch? I could her in half and use her fur to clean my ass.)

The lucario sets up a chair, grabbing it out the air as it floated past him while the alakazam continued to organize the room. _'You would fall as easily as I did. Her power is not strength but more… passive you could saw. For all your strength, you would fall faster then I did. Though our flame bird over there did seem to last the longest against her.'_ He pets his houndoom who gives a content growl as the blaziken looks away.

'_It doesn't matter if she is with us or not, we all have a mission we have to complete, just as she does. The watcher and his pokemon are to be left alone, nothing else matters at this point. His word is absolute in this matter. Though, if the human who travels with him is hurt, well things happen as I stated. Soon he will meet his trials. Those knights will be of great help to our in helping the watcher see his error his mother. Very soon.'_ His laughter soon echoes though the room.

xXx

Meanwhile…

Ice Island…

Sarah's umbreon, dragonair and Razor all look on as Rebecca seems to be having a very good dream as she moans out just a bit, mumbling Thomas's name.

(You do realize that if she wakes up and we're here like this, she will kill us right.) Umbreon asks in a sarcastic tone.

Razor just sits there eating his peaca berries. (I don't know what you're talking about, I sleep near her all time and I'm not making out with her. I have a mate now and I know better.) He says before refilling his mouth with more berries.

Dragonair just scoffs a bit. (Boy, you are so whipped you don't even realize it. You do whatever that floatzel says. Be a male, stand up and be proud to look once in a while. Like you said, we're not touching.)

Razor slides back a bit more away from the umbreon and dragonair. (This is Thomas's mate.) He points to Rebecca. (She means everything to him, hell her being with him is the happiest I've ever seen him, and that's saying a lot.)

(He's happy? I rarely even see him smile. What's wrong, he can't get a human and took a lucario.) Umbreon asked a bit confused.

The dragonair shakes his head. (You fool, he's truly loves her. Lucarios tend to know if their companions are lying. He may… what did Sarah say… oh yeah. He may be a bit dense at times, but he is always honest. To a fault if I remember her words correctly.)

Umbreon's rings glow a bit more so that he can see better. (So, what's that matter to us watching her having a nice dream.) He points to her with his forepaw.

Razor is already a good yard away now and still backing up as if knowing something was going to happen. (It means that Thomas will kill you for that. If not him, then Radara, because she sees Rebecca as a daughter.)

This time the umbreon scoffs. (I'm not afraid of miss pretty pink. Not only do I have a type advantage, but I've beaten stronger psychics then her.)

Razor is now a fair distance back, with umbreon's plate of berries with him as he ducks slowly behind a rock. (Well, it was nice knowing you.) He continues all the way around.

Umbreon finally notices his missing plate of berries as his rings glow brighter rather annoyed. (Hey you thief, give me back my…) He freezes as he feels a sudden dread behind him, both him and the dragonair turn slowly and see Radara there behind him, her face a bit blank, but her eyes showed her anger quiet well.

'_So mister dark type. You think you can beat me even though my powers cannot affect you correct?'_ Her words seem to be calm, as if she perfectly fine with them, even if they are a bit loud in their heads. Despite this, he can tell things are very different as she gets up and walks towards him, like she is stalking him. She smiles at his discomfort as she comes closer, his rings dimming a bit. _'What's wrong little boy, afraid of this little PINK psychic are you?'_ She asked, always hating the way people called her pink like she was cute. _'You seem … terrified. Like I'm going to hurt you.'_

The dragonair looks at her as she stalks around his friend. (Look, you can't bully us like this. Your master may let you do things like you are equals, but I'll tell him what your doing.)

Razor just shakes his head knowing they are both in for it now.

'_Okay, let's do this, both of you against me. If you win, I'll let you both have whatever you want, even me.'_ Her smile looks innocent at first, but it still couldn't hide the look in her eyes.

The umbreon quickly snaps out of his trance and nods vigorously. (Oh, I am so going to kick you pink butt.) He gets in a battle stance along side the dragonair, both of them preparing a set of attacks. Radara just stays seated as if nothing was going to happen, just continuing to smile.

Thomas is walking with Sarah back to the campsite. Thomas had just called the Orange Island pokemon rangers alerting them to the fact that Articuno had just laid the eggs containing the next three legendary birds, as well as to take the rockets they caught into custody. At first, the ranger tried to correct Thomas saying that Articuno was male, but Thomas just ignored it. The ranger was kind enough to not mention their trip to the island since the three islands were off limits to those without research passes, but only because they had stopped the rocket's attempt to steal the legendary bird. He still warned them to leave though, it wouldn't be good if they were there when the rangers showed up to check up on Articuno along with the research group to make sure that Articuno and the eggs were fine.

With that done, they were walking back to the camp. "I can't believe that I saw Articuno give birth to Zapdos's and Moltres's new forms, as well as her own. But why couldn't I take a picture Thomas. That would have made such a great background for my phone." Sarah states as she pauses for a second, to wipe a good bit of snow from her face and shoulders. "Damn it, I still have to get a better phone, not this cheap disposable one. Not that I don't appreciate you got this for me Thomas, its just I miss my other phone. It all these nice apps on it that I liked and I could take such great pictures with it."

"You're still worried about your parents I assume?" Thomas asks, his tone mostly flat right now, still a bit distracted.

"Yea, its just that I never knew my father was like that. I always thought that he supported my decision to be a coordinator. I never knew he hated my choice or that he hated you so much. I know we can never be an item… thought I will be honest, I did entertain the thought. It's just that I sorta knew deep down, despite all that I tried to with you, that you were only be being nice to me since we grew up together." Sarah pauses for a few before starting up again, her voice showing how annoyed she was with her father. "It's just that my father… I can't believe how stubborn he was about the way he wanted me to live my life."

They walk for a bit as he just remains his usual quiet self knowing that it was best for her to just say what she wanted, to hear herself state the facts like he had done so many times with Juno. He really couldn't see himself giving advice to others anyway, not when he had so many problems of his own. It wasn't like he could just tell her that things would be okay, not knowing that the darkness had returned. Then there was the fact that the only family he had left was just Radara, they were the last watchers and that fact was hard to accept right now. He still refused to even think of his mother after thinking about what he had become over the years and quickly pushed any thoughts of her out of his head as best he could. Of course their was Rebbeca , and was Sarah trying to get his attention?

"Thomas! You're going to…" Sarah's words never register with Thomas and his thoughts were interrupted when he walked right into a large tree, hitting it with enough force to bury himself a bit with all the snow he knocked off its branches. He grumbles a bit to himself rubbing his nose and wiping the snow off of himself.

"You're mind is else where isn't it Thomas?" Sarah asks as she tries, but fails to suppress a laugh.

He sighs wearily as his thoughts take a new turn thinking of how Rebecca would be laughing harder at him. His thoughts turn to how he had taken her a few nights ago, it all seemed so different now. On the one hand, he knew this great darkness had returned, but on the other, he felt better, even with Rebecca being a bit clingy at times. At the very least, he smiled glad that Rebecca had stopped acting so fierce towards Sarah, even if she merely started to just ignore Sarah. He could easily understand why Rebecca wanted more and more alone time with him, even if it was just to cuddle. Radara had taken it upon herself to talk with Rebecca though since that was all that Rebecca wanted lately knowing that Thomas still needed a bit of time himself to try and think things over himself without depressing her.

Thomas continues walking, despite trying to ignore the giggles coming from Sarah, deep in thought again. Sarah quiets down a bit, looking in the distance seeing her arcanine and Juno. Just knowing that part of what was occupying Thomas's thoughts was his relationship with Rebecca, she begins to think about how close Blaze and Juno have gotten, and how much stronger Blaze has gotten under Juno's training.

Sarah smiles a bit thinking that she's happy for both Juno and Blaze, and even more happy for Thomas and Rebecca. Before she could really get much deeper then that though, her thoughts were interrupted when she saw her umbreon fly out of the cave, having to stop for a second for the action she just witnessed to process itself.

Before she can really think much about it though, both Thomas and Sarah hear a cry from deep in the cave, just before Sarah's dragonair is through out of the cave as well. Radara quickly comes barreling out of the cave, claws and fangs showing. Her eyes flash as the dragonair is quickly tossed into the snow as umbreon gets up quickly readying a shadow ball, but never has a chance to finish.

'_What's wrong boys, still think that you had the advantage here?'_ Radara's voice is strong in all of their minds as she quickly dives at umbreon. Just as he finished charging his shadow ball, the snow all around him is blasted upward like a bomb had been set off and Radara quickly dives through the mess, disappearing in the mass of snow, tackling umbreon rather hard as he was blinded the snow and was sent flying. She quickly turns to deal with dragonair again, only to see Thomas and Sarah standing there.

"Radara, what are you doing?" Sarah screams out quickly rushing forward to where her dragonair was recovering, already charging an attack, but dismisses it upon seeing his trainer.

"Radara, what had gotten into you?" Thomas demands quickly running to make sure that umbreon is okay.

'_They were leering at Rebecca while she sleeping. They had no right to be doing that!'_ Radara growls in all of their heads.

"What do you expect Radara, how many times does she sleep late now? Hell, I had to drag myself out of that warm sleeping bag to see the birth of the legendaries new forms, what many would kill to witness. Seeing them being all at once is a rare chance of a lifetime. Yet Rebecca seems to be enjoying her dreams of late which I'm sure you know than anyone." Sarah states in a somewhat annoyed, somewhat suggestive tone.

'_How dare you suggest that I would read others minds without their permission!'_ Radara half shouts into their minds.

Thomas coughs a bit and looks away as he tries to hide his thoughts that float around his head.

'_Don't you dare complete that thought Soular. Don't you dare finish that thought! I don't do that and those times I have were for our survival.'_ She glares at him, Thomas avoiding her gaze feeling her power again, before looking her right in the eye

"Keep telling yourself that. Is that why you always seem to screen all of my potential mates before the dark times, and before you respond, you seem to do that with everyone of your mates without their knowledge. Just admit it already, they were curious and you were just looking for a way to blow off some steam. You're as mad as I am that were taken off guard just as much as I was, even if you didn't get hurt physically." Thomas's words hit hard as she cringes a bit.

Looking around, she finally sees the power she was using herself. Sarah's umbreon and dragonair are both very dazed, recovering slowly. She then looks around at the field around her, seeing the effects of her power. The cave is a bit wider now and then there was the crater like whole she made when she blasted up all of that snow around umbreon. Never before had she really lost it like this, using her powers like this of her own will. She growls a bit more, but forces herself to remain calm, even after what had happened. For that alakazam to suppress her powers like that is what really unnerved her. Recalling the events, she then realized something even more. Not only had he suppressed her powers, he had read her mind like an open book, he had read her every thought, shared every memory she had, learned her deepest secrets. For him to do that to her, like she had done to others before, she finally understood what it meant to be on the receiving end of it now. Even worse, he had left some of his thoughts behind, she could feel herself wanting him a bit, as if she already belonged to him. And for the first time ever, seeing this power up close again, she was fearful of the future brought.

Her own thoughts quickly invade Sarah and Thomas's mind, letting them know how she felt, but it was quickly interrupted by Rebecca as she runs out of the cave and right into Thomas's arm. She quickly kisses him and snuggles hard against him, her chest spike digging a bit into Thomas's chest. "Rebecca, calm down, I told you watch out for your chest spike." Thomas says rather calmly giving what had happened.

'_Where were you?'_ She asks a bit worried that he wasn't there when she woke up.

"I went with Sarah to the nest, I told you yesterday I was going to watch the young ones hatching." Thomas stated. "Articuno told us that would most likely hatch today and I wanted to make sure they weren't tainted."

Rebecca looks a bit mad even if she did recall him saying that yesterday. It wasn't that she was angry that she slept in, but she still harbored a bit of resentment against Thomas going with Sarah. She knew that Thomas belonged to her but it still didn't stop her from getting a bit angry with Sarah, even if she couldn't figure out why anymore. He had reassured her several times that Sarah was just traveling with them, a way to help them get past the knights at times and keep a low profile.

A sudden voice interrupts them all though. _'How cute.'_ All of them quickly look around for the source of the new female voice, quickly finding it resting just above the cave entrance, a liepard was resting on her side on the very top of the cave on a small stone slab. _'I'm not here to fight, I'm just a messenger with a helpful bit of news. Of course, it might be your best idea to leave and soon. The knights are already on their way.' _She says as she slowly moves down the side of the cave.

Thomas quickly pushes Rebecca behind him with his left hand, his entire right arm sparking as he clenches his fist. Radara quickly looks up herself, her eyes glowing along with the jewel in her head. "Who are you and how are you projecting your voice?" Thomas demands, the only reason he continues to hold back is because the liepard said it was a messenger.

'_My master gave me certain gifts.'_ The liepard smiled as she moved over to Radara very slowly in a calm fashion. _'Hmm, so you're the one that brainiac loves so much.'_

Radara quickly growled, fangs bared just as fast. _'I'll kill that thing if he ever tries to get in my head again.'_ She snapped.

The liepard just smiled. _'I never liked him anyway.'_ She smirked before looking to Thomas. _'The knights are coming and fast. You must be very careful, one of their number is corrupt and will do anything to kill you. Of course my master will ensure that they can't for now, but the problem is that he has little use for your friends.'_ She stated looking to Sarah.

"Why are you here?" Thomas asked, his arm still sparking. "I highly doubt you're 'master' would approve of your helping me."

'_I'm here for the sole purpose of my own amusement.'_ The liepard smiled. _'I'm still not sure if I'll even help my master at all yet. For now though, know this. You have his protection for now, but she does not. You should keep your eyes open and leave soon.'_ The liepard smiled before walking off, slowly melting into the shadows.

Before Thomas or Radara could make a move though, there was a bit shouting in the background. Radara quickly scanned the island and growled. _'She's right, the knights are here.'_ Radara quickly stated as she charged into the cave to pack up as Thomas growled himself.

"Oh for the love of… How long?" He quickly charged in after her with Sarah and all of their pokemon right behind them.

'_We have twenty minutes at most, they will head right for Articuno's nest first. I've already asked her to keep them busy and she's already on her way to greet them and slow them down.'_ Radara stated, her eyes glowing as several things started packing themselves up.

"Sorry Rebecca, but you have to back into your ball for now." Thomas said a bit annoyed at having to do, but quickly recalled all of his pokemon with the usual excepting of Radara. Sarah quickly did the same as Thomas tossed Sarah her coat and bag quickly getting his gear on. It was mostly a mad dash as soon as both of them were ready, they could already hear Articuno is the background letting the knights know that she wasn't in good mood. Thomas knew that they wouldn't attack her as long as she let them see that she was a mother even if only for a second.

They quickly reached the coast and Sarah called out her lapras. They quickly got on her back and Radara made sure they had a nice quiet get away throwing up a large snow drift that quickly scattered in the wind, hiding a massive chunk of the coast long enough for them to get away.

xXx

The next few days were once again spent with eyes over their shoulders. Thomas didn't know how, but the liepard seemed to be right and the knights seemed to be following them somehow. For three days in a row, Thomas had stayed up extra late with Radara, making sure that their camps on various islands were never discovered. Finally, on the fourth day, they once again made land fall in a port town in Kanto. The docks were a bit packed with other various trainers arriving by means of a water pokemon, many trainers eager to already start battling. Sarah had been worried about arriving at this kind of dock, but Thomas assured her that with all the added confusion at the docks, it was the easiest way for them to get into the city and secure a proper means out of the area.

The dock workers were too busy to pay attention to the few behaved trainers, merely taking their small fee for coming in at the docks, having to constantly threaten the licenses of trainers to keep them calm and their pokemon in check, so many so eager for a battle already.

From there, it was a quick dash to the center of the city, Sarah needed a new phone still and Thomas had to agree, they could use some other supplies as well, which he would take care while Sarah got her new phone. Sarah had called out her umbreon as soon as they reached the down town area though, having already once fallen victim to a thief and her umbreon was great at keeping her informed while Thomas had once again called out Rebecca, just to mostly let her out. As they split up though, Thomas failed to notice that Sarah's umbreon seemed a bit on edge, instead focusing on all the looks he was getting. He was a bit worried about the fact that everyone seemed to be staring at him and Rebecca, worried what they were thinking. He quickly relaxed to a point though, all of the people staring at him and Rebecca only doing out of awe that he had a lucario, a very rare sight in the Kanto region, let alone being a shiny one. He got many requests for trades, and a few battles, even someone wanting to buy her outright, but he turned them all down just as fast as they showed up using the excuse that he needed to restock on supplies and was leaving the city soon enough.

Thomas quickly got all of their supplies and quickly caught up to Sarah though, she was still in the phone store and took a seat at a café across the street waiting. He finally noticed Sarah's umbreon pacing a bit, but dismissed it as boredom for now, guard duty was no doubt a bore for him. After waiting for a half-hour though, Thomas was just about to get up and ask her to hurry up a bit, when he noticed Sarah's umbreon pacing a bit, and not in the bored kind of way like he had thought. He quickly looked around, alerting Radara as well when he caught a glimpse of something. Sarah's umbreon had just started growling, his rings lit up as someone walked into the store, Thomas catching a small glimpse of the man's face, and even worse, recognizing him and the small glint of the man's knife in his hands behind his back.


	16. Chapter 16

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 16

Sarah was a bit preoccupied trying to call home on her new phone to notice her umbreon's worried actions, merely telling him to calm down a bit as the man with the knife continued walking towards her. Just as she was about to hit the call button though, her umbreon bit down on her pants leg trying to pull her out of the store, but she didn't get what he was trying to say. "Calm down boy, knock it off." Sarah stated with a firm tone as she quickly went to check her pocket, her wallet still there so she saw no reason for him to act this way.

Thomas was already running across the street Radara right behind him as they tried to reach Sarah, having called back Rebecca right away, despite the few words she got out against it.

Umbreon tried once more to get his trainer's attention before Sarah hit him softly on the nose, giving him a firm warning to stop, the man watching intently as he waited for the perfect moment to strike. Seeing as how his trainer wasn't listening though, he quickly took a stance between Sarah and the man, a move that the knight did not approve of when Sarah finally turned to see what had her umbreon all worked up.

The knight knew he lost his element of surprise and quickly moved in, umbreon quickly going to snap at him as he drew close. He was faster though, with a quick boot to the side of umbreon's head, he disoriented umbreon as Sarah gasped out when she saw the knife, the man already having the blade pulled back.

The world seemed to slow down for Sarah as she watched the man quickly kneel down, blade already coming down and catching her umbreon in the side, before the blade was jerked down a bit. Thomas had already barged into the store, but he was too slow to save the umbreon as he called out to Sarah. He quickly rushed the knight, grabbing the collar of his coat and pulling him off the umbreon and into the air. Just as the man was too quick for the umbreon for the stop him, Thomas had already thrown the man headfirst into a glass counter. Before the man could recover, Thomas picked the man up again, before slamming his boot into the man's back, sending him over the counter as well. He looked over and saw that Sarah had rushed over to her umbreon, crying out loudly as she held him close. "Sarah, call him back now." Thomas shouted as he turned, another person coming into the phone shop as an alarm finally sounded. Thomas clenched his fists as Radara quickly knocked all of the security cameras out of alignment, all of them now pointed towards the ceiling.

"You die today demon." The lady who had rushed in shouted calling out her pokemon, a haunter while she drew her own weapon, a rapier that Thomas could already smell the poison on. Thomas was easily able to recognize the woman as well, she easily fit the description that Macy had given her, the butterfly tattoo on her neck a dead give away. Radara was already on the offensive as a few other trainers called out their pokemon in the confusion.

Radara knew that now was a time to use her powers properly, a powerful blast of psychic energy washing over the haunter as Thomas charged towards Claire, having drawn his blade. He quickly ducked under her thrust, picking up a small bit of cloth. Not caring where it had come from, but it was all he needed to reach up and grab Claire's blade as he used the small barbs on the back of his blade to grab part of Claire's pants. With the barbs now in her pants, he quickly jerked himself back, tearing a good section of Claire's pants as well as knocking her off balance, even disarming her all in rapid secession. He wasn't finished yet though as he quickly turned around throwing her blade into the corner of the room, his eyes flashing as he turned back to Claire, one of the counter's that she had been next to quickly falling over on her.

Thomas wasted no time quickly looking to Radara who had trapped the haunter, not holding back as she had pinned the haunter against the wall, keeping it from using any of its abilities. Thomas quickly nodded to Radara as her eyes flashed, everyone looking her way with the exception of Thomas and Sarah falling quickly to Radara's hypnosis, one right after the next. "Sarah, we have to move." Thomas was already at her side as he looked her over, covered in blood from her umbreon's wounds. He could already tell that he was too late to do anything, the knight had gone in right for the kill. Thomas had to pull her away as Sarah continued to cry for her lost pokemon. He quickly pulled her to the street, several people already looking in.

Before any of them could try to ask what happened, a pair of charmeleons broke into the small clearing in front of the phone shop. Both of them opened their mouths and let loose flamethrower attacks, but they never hit as Radara quickly put up a barrier again. The charmeleon's trainers quickly ran up as panic broke out on the street.

"What the hell are they doing?" Thomas growled looking to Radara. "They never attacked me openly like this, are they insane, they'll kill anyone who even gets close to me." He quickly looked around for an exit, but seeing none right away, he knew a fight was inevitable. He nodded to Radara as he set Sarah down calling out Juno as well as Rebecca. "Rebecca, get Sarah out of here." He told her.

'_No Thomas, I'm not leaving you here.'_ Rebecca tried to counter quickly taking a battle stance.

"Rebecca, there's no time for this." Thomas growled. "You're powerful, yes, but you hardly have the experience for this. I can't protect all of you, and Sarah's in shock, her umbreon is dead." He explained as he quickly looked around for anything he could use to his advantage.

Rebecca gasped a bit at the news. "Look, just get her out of here, I can't protect her and fight the knights at the same time, and Radara can't hold this barrier up forever. This isn't a regulation battle, this is life and death, I can't make any promises that I can keep anyone alive in this." He shouted as he quickly grabbed an extension cord that was powering a sign outside the door and snapped it in two. He then took the live end and quickly started draining power from the store charging up an attack.

"Rebecca, take her and go, I just need to buy a bit of time for her to get out here, the knights will kill her if they get their hands on her." Thomas stated right as Radara dropped the barrier, quickly throwing his free hand out, a wave of lighting showering the two charmeleons as well as their trainers. He held himself back enough to keep from hitting the crowd which had backed up considerably to give this fight room, many just plainly fleeing in terror at the battle.

Thomas could already hear the sirens going off as police tried to get in past the crowds. He quickly looked around, his glasses having fallen off in his last attack as he once again looked to Rebecca. "Go now, I'll be right behind you." He shouted out once again draining lots of power from the cord in his hands as he pointed to an alleyway with his free hand. Already more knights were charging from one side, the police coming from the other way.

He quickly launched another wave at the incoming knights, many of them taking cover, even the police quickly taking cover, not sure who was doing what, all they knew was that there was a powerful electric type in the area and they didn't want to get caught by it.

Rebecca gave Thomas one last look before Juno grabbed her hands with her tails and dragged her over to Sarah who was just barely recovering. _'Come on, let's go.'_ Sarah was slow to act, but as soon as she was on her feet, Rebecca and Juno both dragged her down the alleyway. Radara quickly picked up a mail box with her powers, throwing it towards a knight who had tried to sneak up on them as Thomas quickly looked around. He bit his lip in his agitated state of mind, charging up one last attack. "This is the last thing we need." Thomas shouted as he fired his attack at one of the oversized TV screens that the local department stores used for their ads.

Thomas's attack hit dead on, the entire screen shattering in a rain of sparks and glass, the supports already bending as it started to fall over and into the street. The knights all ran back to avoid the screen as it fell and Thomas quickly ducked into the alleyway, Radara having already blocked off the police from getting to them, having pulled several cars from their parking spots and making a quick barricade with them.

Thomas quickly ran down the alleyway with Radara right behind him, catching up to Rebecca, Juno, and Sarah. "Move." He shouted quickly grabbing Sarah and Rebecca's hands and dragging them both along through the alleyway to another street. The commotion from the phone store had already spread, several police cars all around them trying to get the scene of the fight, several other people running away, others trying to get closer to figure out what happened.

They ran down a few more city blocks before stopping. Thomas quickly flagged down a cab, and Radara took control from there, quickly hypnotizing the cab driver. Radara's influence was strong this time, they had no choice as the cab quickly took off from the city and headed north. Thomas was constantly looking around now, making sure that they weren't being followed. Once the car had left the city, Radara made sure that the driver used the less traveled roads, after a half-hour, finally stopping in the middle of the forest.

They all quickly got out, Radara giving the man one last set of instructions as Thomas dropped a pair of hundred dollar bills in the seat next to him not really caring how much he threw at the man, just wanting him gone. Sure that they had gotten away for now, Thomas quickly dragged them all into the forest, away from the road. Once he was sure they were safe for now, he turned to Sarah.

"Sarah, are you okay?" Thomas quickly looked her over, her cheeks soaked with her tears, her shirt and part of her pants stained with the blood of her umbreon.

"Thomas… t-they killed m-my…" Sarah stated looking at him, her eyes red from crying so hard.

Thomas nodded lightly. "I'm sorry." He said slowly. "They've never done this before, not openly. I had no way to know this would happen." He looked down, slamming his fist into the dirt, his whole body sparking a bit. "That liepard was right, they are corrupt, they don't care who they hurt anymore." He said as he got up and paced around a bit. Radara quickly moved next to Sarah as Rebecca tried to work up the nerve to talk with Thomas. She had never seen this kind of anger in him before, his mind torn every which way. Looking to his aura, the only real feeling he had was anger, and much worse then the anger Eric Falstone had given them back at the mansion, and it scared Rebecca as she looked on. His eyes were now blue near the center, but the outer edges of his eyes were completely red, pulsing a bit even as if some dark force had taken him over. If Rebecca hadn't seen been looking at his aura, she may not have recognized him, but even his aura was changing a bit now.

'_Sarah, I am sorry for you loss.'_ Radara said slowly as she took one the pokeballs from Thomas's belt while he was pacing. Radara let out Aqua and called her over. _'Let's get you cleaned up.'_ Radara stated as she got out a towel and wash rag, having Aqua wet the rag and then wipe her chin of the blood on her.

Thomas was quickly letting his anger take control. "Those religious bastards." He growled slamming his hand into a tree, leaving a dent, but also tearing his hand up a bit. "What the hell were they thinking, they may be extreme, but they always cared for those they thought were innocent. They could have killed everyone there. And how dare they attack Sarah like that, no warning, just going in for the kill. Have they lost all trace of humanity? How bad have the gone." He let out a loud roar of anger a wave of electricity surging in front of him, several wild pokemon quickly running from all directions away from the camp.

Rebecca quickly ran up and hugged him from behind. _'Thomas please, calm down, you're scaring me.'_ Rebecca whined a bit. Thomas was about to let out another blast of electricity, but feeling Rebecca there hugging him, he stopped, even though his anger was still very much there. He let his arms fall to his side slowly.

Radara looked to him as she left Aqua to try and clean up Sarah a bit, letting out the rest of their pokemon. She quickly filled them all in, all of Sarah's pokemon moving in to comfort her.

'_Juno, can you please dig a small fire pit, Razor, we could use some fire wood.'_ Radara stated, her own mind just as troubled as Thomas's, but instead of anger guiding her, it was fear. Although she looked calm, fear was the only thing truly in her mind right now. _'Blaze, please look for some berries, sceptile, please join him. Dragoniar, if you would just sit with Sarah, let her know that she's not alone in this. She needs comfort right now. Lapras, please help to try and comfort Sarah as well.'_ She asked as she quickly tried to start on the tents.

While she was easily able to move the towel, wash rag, and pokeballs, putting the tents together proved hard for her. As she finally began to think things over, the more she began to fear the future and what it held. The bars used to build the tent frame were unsteady and wobbling lightly as they moved in the air, showing how distracted she was as her own memories began to emerge. She was glad more then ever now that she had chosen to evolve into an espeon this time around rather then a vapereon, her psychic powers had been the only thing to save them several times over this incarnation alone.

Her thoughts continuously turned as she tried to remember everything she could about this ancient evil, the abomination that was behind the War of Legend as she continued to try and put the tent together. Thomas was still very much angry, but with Rebecca there beside him, keeping him in check, he walked over and took the bars out of the air, merely nodding at her, her cue to take it easy, just sit back.

Thomas was able to put the tent together easily enough as Radara curled up on his sleeping bag. "Get some sleep Radara." Thomas commanded. "You… no, we all need it." He corrected himself as he quickly sat back against a tree stump. He looked around, this forest so calm, so quiet. He quickly readied an attack though hearing the bushes shift a bit, and let out a sigh that it was only Razor along with Blaze and sceptile. Razor quickly put all the wood in the pit Juno had dug and started a large fire.

'_I will take the first watch.'_ Juno stated, Radara having sent the words to everyone. _'Blaze I would like your help keeping an eye over everything, if you so much as hear anything, investigate.'_ Blaze nodded. _'Thomas, get some sleep, we shall watch the camp, you have done enough. Sarah, I suggest that you do the same while you can. We … we…'_ Juno's words were slow now. _'I'm sorry, but we don't have much time here, and as much as it pains me to say this, that time is better spent preparing to leave again.'_ Juno stated firmly, her voice showing just how painful it was for her to say it, rushing a bit with her words.

"Juno is right." Thomas added slowly looking to Sarah. "We have to move soon, they've already proven that your just another sacrifice in this, your life means nothing to them."

Sarah looks to him slowly, no real emotion visible in her face now as she tries to comprehend what Thomas was saying, but all she can really do is just clutch her umbreon's pokeball tightly. Over and over again, she shouts at herself that this can't be real in her head as she looks to what she is holding. The pokemon is no longer polished red and white, but rather very dark, even looking a bit rusted already, the button to open it having turned completely black, showing that it was now partnered with a deceased pokemon. She can feel her pokemon around her, but she's afraid to look at them, afraid that it would just confirm that this all real, and not some nightmare. Her pokemon all move a bit closer to her.

Each of her pokemon think of their fallen comrade just as Sarah did, still unsure how to take the news. Dragonair curls lightly around Sarah, taking the news just as hard as her. While all of her pokemon were friends with each other, dragonair had grown up right beside umbreon, the two of them always getting into trouble together. Dragonair can't help but think that he can't get into anymore trouble now that his partner is crime is gone.

Thomas watches as Sarah and her pokemon all mourn their fallen friend. He can do little to ease her pain now, realizing more then ever how much distress that he has brought to her life. He never meant for any of this to happen, but looking at her now, he can't help but think of the others he had hurt. Never before had the knights attacked him so openly, they were always shadows, waiting until they could catch him alone if possible so that he couldn't use anyone as a shield. This time though, they had attacked in right out, in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded city.

As much as he knows he wants to stay, he doesn't even realize he had already began packing up his things, only thinking about all those he had hurt over the years. His hands move on their own as they pack for him, his thoughts only thinking about the past. He has always tried to keep others at a distance from him ever since the days of the traitor, not wanting others to get involved in this war he was in. Yet time and time again, many were injured helping him, protecting him instead of him protecting them. Too many times he had seen them die in his place knowing that the was more important then they were.

His mind quickly snaps at the thought. No, he wasn't more important than them, it was because of what he was, the abilities he had. What made him so special compared to others. Over the years, he had seen so many die at the hands of the knight. His brothers and sister, their fellow pokemon partners. It wasn't fair, why did they have fall to save him, him of all people. He questions what all he has been fighting for all these years, never truly thinking about it before. Why was it important to hold back to these fools who are the true trouble of the world, dark thoughts slowly forming in his head.

Wasn't it his job to rid the world of them? Wasn't he supposed to protect the world from evil? From those who would oppose the will of Arceus. Shouldn't he just eliminate all evil in the world, not to hold back. He could easily do it, he was more powerful than those humans, he could easily…

Radara's voice finally registers assaulting his mind. _'SOULAR! Stop those thoughts now!'_ Her voice echoes powerfully in his head as he looks over startled by her words. Now fully aware of himself, he can fell his back pack over his shoulder, small bits of air running over his body from where he had let his power singe and burn holes into his shirt, but most of all, he can feel Rebecca pulling on his arm.

He turns to look at her, her own face full of tears as he questions it a bit only to see that she was reading his aura. His previous thoughts quickly catch up to him and he can tell why she was so upset now, able to tell just how connected she was to him now. All those feelings of hate, despair, hopelessness, she had felt them all in him.

'_It was never your fault… Soular.'_ Radara says slowly in his head, obviously picking to him by his mothers birth name to try and remind him of who he was. _'You couldn't have foreseen us being betrayed like that. You can't still hold that fee-'_ Thomas quickly cuts her off before she can finish.

"I can't? That's a load of bull and you know it." He growls, just barely able to hold back the harshest of his words. "It was all taken by our inability to fight back. We could have ended his centuries ago. WE could have wiped them from existence. It would have made our jobs so much easier, to protect those around us."

'_Thomas, you can't believe that it would be easier.'_ Radara quickly returns to calling him by his current name feeling how his birth name set off a bit of a rage in him. _'Someone else would have come along and it would have been worse then it is now. At least with the knights, we had some control.'_

"Control?" Thomas questioned her. "They attacked me in the middle of the city. Look where we are now Radara." He starts shouting. "I can't even protect those who wish to help us. I know I said I wouldn't allow this to happen, but look around. Why must we still cower to these fools? Why should we hide in the shadows? They should be the ones to cower in the shadows. They should fear us." He snaps, several pokemon who originally had the courage to stay from his previous bit of rage quickly run off now. He doesn't even notice the laughter in the back of his head.

Rebecca takes a few steps back seeing his aura changing growing darker and corrupt. She whines a bit more as she looks at him holding herself, never having felt such a darkness before. _'Please Thomas… stop this, your hurting me.'_ Rebecca says slowly.

Thomas turns to face her, never expecting to hear her pained voice. He looks her over once more, his mind clearing up seeing how much he was scaring and hurting her. She was connected to him more then ever, able to feel his happiness, his joy, but right now, all she felt was his sadness, his anger. He knew that lucario got close to their mates, but it had been so long since he had felt that kind of bond, he had nearly forgotten just how close and powerful it truly was. Looking at her, he could tell that his feelings were hurting more then any battle injury now as he quickly begins to fear himself more then anything, fearing what he was becoming, one of the very things he swore to defend the world against.

He can finally feel the taint in the back of his mind as he calms down and walks over to Rebecca and tries to comfort her. She backs away though and Thomas can't really blame her.

'_Thomas, let me talk to her. You need to calm down. Go for a walk, please, you need to calm yourself. You can patrol the area to make sure we don't have anymore surprised.'_ Radara says slowly as she moves toward Rebecca.

His first thoughts were to tell her no, but he quickly realizes that she is right. Nothing he can do or say right now will help with his aura as dark as it for now, his emotions as out of control as they are. He was hurting the one he finally chose to love and protect, and the thing she needed protected from most right now was himself. "I'll patrol the area. Juno, Blaze, can you please do the same." Thomas says slowly as he lets his bag drop from his shoulder, but still hung onto his sword.

Both of them nod as he leaves the clearing though. Blaze gives his trainer one last look, but he knows that he has to protect her right now as he gives her one last gentle nudge with his muzzle before he turns and follows and Juno.

Sarah is still reeling from the loss of one of her pokemon, one of her friends. The reality of it still has yet to fully hit her, but it is sinking now at last. To lose a pokemon, it wasn't uncommon for a pokemon to die protecting their trainer from a burglar or a criminal. Yet to die at the hands of some fanatical monster like that. She can't help but think if she had paid more attention to him, then she could have protected him.

Once again, she feels more tears coming and no matter how hard she tries to stop them, they come anyway. He was so loyal to her and yet, she didn't pay attention to him when she needed to. It had cost him his life to protect her, to make sure his trainer was safe. She couldn't help but think that maybe it was sign, to let her know that she should leave now.

Before she had learned what he really was, she just plainly enjoyed traveling with Thomas, her time spent traveling with him was often some the best adventures she had. He had a way of getting to places that she thought were always out of reach. And then she learned what he was, and Arceus herself asked her to join him, to help him, and about his relationship with Rebecca. She couldn't think about anything else but the new adventures she could have with him, even if he was in love with someone else.

She couldn't help but hope that this was a bad dream as she gripped the darkened pokeball tighter, hoping to feel her umbreon licking her face wanting to feed him and his snorlax appetite.

A hand gently shook her and she first thought that it was Thomas, not looking up until her name was called. Rather then Thomas though, it was Eric. She gasped a bit looking at him, quickly looking around, only her pokemon were there with her, Thomas and all of his pokemon not there in the clearing.

"I found you Sarah." Eric smiled, his face was gentle, but his eyes, there was something odd about them. "Look, come with me and you will be safe. I can protect you." He held out his hand for her.

For a brief second, she actually considers his offer, not caring about the world around her, the promise of safety sounded hard, even though she wanted to stay with Thomas. Her hand moved up slowly, shaking a bit at first, until she finally became aware of her pokemon's actions.

Dragonair quickly wrapped his tail around her hand to pull it away, and she went to yell at him, only to have an image her umbreon flash before her eyes. She quickly looked them all over, all of them holding back, but around her having taken to defending her, growling lightly as they looked around, the dragonair focusing a lot on Eric. Blaze still wasn't there, but Sarah knew that something must held him back and was now worried for him just as much.

Eric gave her pokemon a mean look, as if trying to threaten them to back off, some sort crazed look in his eyes. She quickly got up, pocketing her umbreon's pokeball and quickly drawing her kubotans.

"No, I'll stay." She said firmly, despite the tears still in her eyes.

Eric stands slowly, shaking his head. "I tried to save you." He said. "I will try not to hurt you too much then, but if it takes another of your pokemon to see the truth of that demon, then so be it." He raises his hand and several knights quickly stand up all around them, her pokemon moving closer to her, all of them ready to fight. Sarah turned just in time to see Blaze and Juno jump two the knights, not holding back as the rammed the knights into the trees.

Radara sees Thomas leaving to patrol as she turns to see Sarah crying for her umbreon. She remained quiet for now though, leaving Sarah be knowing that it was best to leave her alone though. Nothing she could say could help her. She turns once again to see Rebecca walking out of the clearing, quickly following her. She couldn't help but feel a real connection with Rebecca, and while Rebecca wasn't her mate, Radara still felt that she was her mother and quickly moved to follow Rebecca.

She can't help but think how much like Thomas she was, having closed herself up considerably over her past few incarnations. She finally caught Rebecca in another clearing, not paying to how far they had gone from Sarah and her pokemon.

'_Rebecca, you need to calm down. I know your just reeling from your connection to Thomas. He is going through a rough time now, I know you want help him, but… it's just harder then you know for him right now. I…'_ Radara stops, unsure what to say next. She knew now that Rebecca was her daughter, she had helped her grow up, watched over her, always made sure that Rebecca had the best chance. It was a new feeling for her, she had never truly had a daughter, having only given birth to the vessel for her next life, always dying with in days of the egg hatching.

This new feeling was powerful, and while it was welcome, it was very hard as she once felt the alakazam once again in her head. _'I can give you what you always wanted, a family, a mate who is your equal, a partner who will never leave you. I can give you happiness.'_ She couldn't help but break a bit at the words, like Thomas, who finally had that chance, she wanted a real mate herself. Despite knowing how evil he was though, her longing for a real companion actually had her thinking about his offer.

The fur on the back of her neck felt like a shock as she felt her mind slowly get reinforced, pushing those thoughts out. She looked up to see Rebecca there, on her knees holding her, letting her aura flow over her. Although it would hardly keep the alakazam out, it gave her the push she needed to take control, sealing her mind to the intrusive thoughts, and stayed like that for a minute, both of them just sitting there, needing the other's company.

Radara suddenly became aware of something, muffled thoughts and minds all around her as she quickly broke from Rebecca's embrace. She quickly gathered her power, once again readying herself for combat. She had no time to try and get Sarah's or even Thomas's attention though as she prepared herself, three knights quickly rushing at them from the bushes.

'_Welcome to your final days fools. None shall miss your stupidity.'_ She said not even realizing the taint that was there in her mind as the entire area in front of her was blasted by a psychic force, something other then her own power helping her though.

Thomas quickly walked off from the clearing, sword in hand as he adjusted the straps on it. He was busy sorting through his own thoughts as well as those minor thoughts of his past life, his own unique sword style coming back to him bit by bit. He merely walks for a few, trying to calm his mind as his sword is now resting over his back. Rather then in a traditional manner, the tip of the blade was resting by his left shoulder, angled over his back with the hilt resting his hip, next to his right hand.

He gently gripped his blade allowing some of his power to flow into it, trying to recall more of his sword style, hoping to take his mind off of things. He was trying hard to calm down, not only for his sake, but also from Rebecca, her bond with him was strong, and he could still feel it, still feel his own anger and despair fading into her.

He goes over his various attacks in his head, repeating the same actions over and over again and again in his head, trying to busy himself and his mind in a bit as he walks along when he becomes aware of something. While he can still easily feel Rebecca, he has lost contact entirely with Radara.

Just as he acknowledges the fact that something is wrong though and goes to turn to face the camp, a shadow jumps up from behind him. He cries out in pain as he is grabbed from behind, the mons barbed arms digging into his skin. He turns his head back just enough to try and bash his captor, only to see that he is a too short to get to the cacturne. He doesn't know how, or care how the cacturne is so much taller and larger then him, he already knows that the others are in trouble as another knight charges at him, the knight already having his dagger out and going to plunge it into his chest.

He cries out, he was not going to die here. Rebecca still needed him, as did Radara. They would kill Sarah and all of their pokemon no less, all innocents, but they wouldn't be spared just because they knew him. He cries out, releasing a giant lighting bolt from his body, knocking the knight off his feet and into the underbrush.

The cacturne, while very shaken still holds onto Thomas though, blood running down his arms from the cacturne's barbs as it grips him tighter. Thomas quickly uses it own strength and added height against it though, lifting his legs out as he grips his sword harder. The cacturne quickly leans back a bit, even taking a step back to keep its balance thinking that Thomas was trying to flip it back, but Thomas just smiled. He quickly rammed both of his boots into the cacturne's forward leg, the heels of both boots slamming back hard on the cacturne's knee as the knight recovers.

Juno lets out a blast of fire, the fireball flying past an ivysaur who quickly launches a razor leaf in return. Juno easily jumps over it, charging up an iron tail, but not for the ivysaur, instead knocking a tree over with it cutting of a riachu that charging for Blaze as he had his hands full fending off a nidoking. Even in the few seconds that she has to look at him, she can easily see the change in him, how he is letting his instincts take control, no longer waiting for a command, just acting now. Her attention is quickly adjusted though as she drops down completely and rolls under an ice beam fired from Sarah's lapras. The attack goes on to hits its real target, freezing two pokemon in place. While mostly stationary, the lapras is putting up a powerful fight though, Sarah's dragoniar helping to defend it along side Aqua.

Razor is busy helping Sarah as she fights with Eric, her actions much smoother then against that rocket elite as she keeps forcing Eric to back up. She lashes out at him, nearly landing a blow, all he has are just his strange bracers that the knights had given, easily able to parry her attacks, but did little against Razor as he jumps up ready to slash him with his claws.

Another stray attack is launched at Sarah and Eric again, Razor quickly jumping and pushing Sarah out of the way of the fire ball, but Eric takes a partial hit as he yells out, a knight finally able to join him handing him a sword as he goes at Sarah. "You must be ready to strike, she may be beyond saving." The knight yells at him as he goes in to try and hit Razor, only to have the zangoose quickly get behind him and jump off his back, but not before slashing him with his claws.

"No, I can save her." Eric roars out, his eyes even more crazed now as he goes running towards her as she Sarah quickly tackles her lapras, getting her to duck down under a hyper beam attack.

The forest is already on fire as Sarah gets back up, the clearing hardly even recognizable now as she has to parry a blow from Eric, her lapras finaly getting a good hit on him, the hydro pump attack throwing him back over a burning log.

Radara let her full power lash out at the three knights who tried to attack her and Rebecca, large dents all over the trees around her, even some visible cuts as she picked up one knight and threw him into other two. She even quickly taking their pokeballs and throwing them as far as she possibly could into the distance in different directions. She had no time to deal with them as she made short work of them quickly turning in Thomas's direction, finally able to feel him. _'He needs your help, go.' _Radara quickly pointed Rebecca in the right direction as she turned to head back to the clearing already knowing that Sarah and the others were in just as much trouble.

Rebecca ran as fast as she could in the direction Radara had pointed her, easily able to feel Thomas, but something was wrong with him as she moved.

Thomas quickly freed himself from the arms of the overgrown cacturne as he quickly drew his blade quickly charged the knight. With his blade drawn facing downward, he quickly ducked under the knights knife and slashed at the knight's knee, going threw his leather armor with ease and leave a nasty burned gash. His blade more then easily carried his electrical power, not only disabling the knight as he called out a second pokemon, but also knocking him unconscious. The newly summoned vileplume was quick to attack Thomas as Rebecca made it into the small clearing.

Thomas wasted no time raising a hand and letting a surge of lighting flow over the vileplume as he ran up and roared out, slamming the hilt of his blade into the side of the vileplume's head, quickly kicking the vileplume back into the trees.

The cacturne had finally recovered, but instead of going for Thomas, he went for Rebecca since she was closer. Thomas turned just in time to see the cacturne try to attack Rebecca and quickly threw his sword at it, impaling the mons arm into the tree right behind it.

In his head, he could feel all sorts of dark thoughts forming, dark images and ideas quickly flooding his mind as he rushed the cacturne. _'Go on, finish it, kill that fool who would attack what is yours.'_ The voice echoed in his head, and in his rage, he almost listened, already by the cacturne, one fist in its gut, his other hand quickly tearing his blade free and preparing a finishing strike before he froze seeing what he was doing and backed up. Rebecca could feel it too inside him, a dark presence, the same evil that had taken over that rocket elite was inside Thomas, his aura almost entirely masked by the evil. _'Strike it down, finish the job, put them out of their misery.'_ The voice echoed in his head again, but Thomas finally noticed something about it, while it was mostly definitely the same voice the rocket elite had used, he could also hear faint traces of his own behind it.

He took a few more steps backward looking himself over, he had a faint aura visible around his body, black in nature as he watched it fade away, a new truth dawning on him as he remembered something else from the days of the traitor. A single image flashed through his head, an image of Tavu from the temple in his head, the same similar dark aura around him as he attacked everyone.

"We've all been corrupted." He said quietly, finally able to understand why his changes had been coming early over the past few incarnations. As he slowly returned to his former power, the evil that had been part of him had been doing the same, boosting his power along sides its own with each passing reincarnation. More images followed the first as he recalled the War of Legend itself, its final day. He had been right there in the very same room as that ancient evil, helping Gali to restrain Lugia while a few of his fellow watchers restrained the other legendaries that the evil had used to protect itself. When Tavu had used a blade forged by Arceus's power to slay the evil's current body and seal it away, they had all been corrupted in the wave of dark energies that it had released with its dying breath.

He fell to his knees at the thought, the knights had claimed several times in the past that he was a demon, his possessed dark and ancient evils within him. Like all of his brothers and sisters, he merely passed it off as their own theories, their hatred for him. Rebecca quickly came running to him as more and more images flashed through his head, images of their higher knights making their accusations. He had always got the worse of it, even when traveling with others of his kind after the days of the traitor, the knights always tried so much harder to kill him, and at last it all made sense. With all of these new thoughts and memories springing up in his head though, they were quickly over whelming as he cried out in pain holding his head. He couldn't even hear Rebecca's cry as he was over whelmed passing out in his arms, but she couldn't help but smile a bit. His aura was once again his own, no traces of anger or hatred in it for now.

Radara had quickly joined up with Sarah and the others, all of them having their hands full. The forest was a blaze around them, several various attacks leaving large chunks of ice, craters in the ground, and traces of various other attacks littered the area. One of the pokemon quickly saw her approach and charged Radara, only to be picked up and thrown right into the middle of fight, Radara unaware of her taint taking control in her.

She quickly lashed out at the knights who tried to stop her, their head bands, normally able to stop her powers not protecting them from her new dark attacks as they fell over clutching their heads. Everyone turned to face her as the fight seemed to stop for a few as she walked closer to them, the jewel on her head entirely black.

She growled as her words echoed in their heads commanding them to leave or die. The knights all knew that she was dark now, quickly ignoring Sarah and the others going in to attack Radara as she took a seat.

Juno could tell what was going on, somehow that evil had gotten into Radara as she charged back into the fight, the rest of them quickly following her. Radara was easily able fend off the attacks, throwing the knights and their pokemon back with ease, the few dark types there getting the knights tossed into them.

While Blaze led a new assault from behind and Sarah went after Eric, still wanting answers from him, Juno made a mad dash right towards Radara, using her most powerful fire attacks to knock anything out of her way.

Radara was just about to lash out at her as well, but recognized Juno soon enough to keep from attacking her. This was Juno's only chance as she rammed her shoulder into Radara knocking her back and pinning her down as fast as possible, quickly using her own hypnosis to try and calm Radara down. Juno took the few attacks that Radara used to try and push her off, thankful that Radara was holding back against her, but refused to let up herself.

The battle around them vanished slowly as Juno blocked everything else out, trying to do the same for Radara to calm her.

Blaze and the others made short work of the battered knights and their pokemon, but they still managed to get away, Blaze chasing them a small ways, but quickly returning to the clearing.

Sarah had to stare in confusion watching as Juno finally put Radara to sleep, before she fell over herself, the act of calming Radara taking a lot out of her. Before she could even question the sight though, Rebecca was calling out for help. Aqua and lapras quickly went to work, using their water gun attacks to try and put the blaze out, doubly so around Rebecca who had gotten trapped while carrying Thomas along side her.

Sarah moved in to help get both Rebecca and Thomas out of the burning bushes they got stuck in while Blaze and Razor quickly tried to clear a path for them to get out. Sarah could hear something in the distance, looking up, a few lights over the burning trees, recognizing them as a pair of Ranger Helicopters, no doubt attracted to the clearing from their fight.

'_Juno says we need to move now.'_ Rebecca stated, with Radara out could, she was the only one could translate for them right now. Razor and Sarah's sceptile had already run over to grab and save their bags, but their tent was on fire, everything else that had been pulled out was scattered as well.

Sarah quickly called back everyone but Blaze as she put her backpack on, Rebecca taking Thomas's pack. Sarah then called back Aqua, Razor, and even Radara as she counted on Juno and Blaze to lead them to safety, while she helped Rebecca carry Thomas out of the blazing forest.


	17. Chapter 17

Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 17

Sarah could hear the commotion of rangers calling out things to their pokemon as she hurried along with Juno and the others. She moved as fast as she could carrying Thomas with Rebecca, finally reaching the road again and following it for a while, but always ducking down when a car would pass. They needed some distance and while Juno made sure to express her concerns about traveling along the road, with Thomas out cold like he was, that made things difficult.

The night was starting to get a bit cold as Sarah turned once again to see if she could see anyone around them, but the only thing that caught her eye was the glow from the clearing they had come from. It was still an inferno and she couldn't help but think that she had been involved in it, hoping that all the pokemon got away.

They quickly made it a small abandoned campground, the place having gone out of business years ago. She smiled a bit though, glad that the place hadn't been torn down. She had stayed there a few times in the past while it was up and running and enjoyed the place a lot, but it still brought back some sad memories now that her umbreon was gone.

Juno herded them all to a worn down cabin that was missing one entire wall. She quickly turned to play lookout as she made sure they got into the cabin unnoticed. With them in at last, Rebecca passed a message onto Sarah from Juno asking her to move some of the over turned bunks to block the open wall a bit and hide them further. She was already getting cold herself, but she knew that a fire tonight would only draw unwanted attention for now.

While Sarah was busy building the small barricade to hide them, Rebecca took the time to fully inspect Thomas's wounds, his arms still bleeding a bit as well as his back. There were still a few thorns in his skin from the cacturne's hug, but she was thankful that he was barely even bleeding anymore, the smallest of his cuts not only having scabbed over, they were even sealing up completely now.

Rebecca quickly went about pulling out as many of the thorns as she could. By the time that Sarah was done with barricade, Juno had done a quick search of the area, they were finally alone and she ducked into the cabin before Sarah sealed the last small opening for now. She quickly pulled out her small lantern and set up, before moving to get out her first aid kit and handed the tweezers to Rebecca to get the smaller thorns out of Thomas. She also handed her the bandages as well, knowing that Rebecca needed to be the patch Thomas up for now.

With nothing else to do as she left Rebecca to help Thomas, Sarah called out her pokemon, all of them and gave them their own check up. Somehow, in all the chaos of that fight with the knights, the worst that any of them suffered was a large patch of missing fur on Blaze's side. Other then that, Sarah was thankful that it was mostly just cuts and bruises as she looked them over.

She would love to take them all to the pokemon center, and even pokespa as well for their hard work, but thinking about how easily they had found them in the forest, she knew that it was bad idea. As she finally sat back to slowly calm down. She heard something in her bag, something was moving. She quickly dug into her pack and found her phone case, which was vibrating. Intrigued, she looked it over and opened it up, she had an incoming call.

She gasped as she saw the number though, it was her mother's private cellphone. She quickly answered it. "Mom, how did you get this number, I just bought this phone." Sarah questioned, only to hear her mother screaming over the line.

"Sarah, Sarah, are you alright? I got your call earlier, but all I could hear was screaming and shouting, and then this explosion. The next thing I know I heard sirens and then you hung up." Her mother was frantic with her words, breathing hard, already panting. Her voice was even a bit hoarse, obviously had been crying and yelling all day. "There was this report on the news that a phone shop had been attacked, then it broke out into the streets."

"Mother, mother calm down." Sarah quickly stated pulling up a side panel, she had several dozen missed calls over the day, all from her mother, her phone had been set on vibrate by default since it was commonly used by pokemon trainers. She quickly noticed many other apps that had been downloaded right away onto the unit, include a few news apps, all blinking trying to get her attention with headlines concerning Team Rocket. Sarah knew the truth though, everyone just needed someone to blame over it all.

"I didn't think too much of it until I saw news clip itself and it mentioned an umbreon that had been found dead. There was a quick picture of it and I could tell that it was yours, and you never answered my calls." Her mother continued as she started crying again over the phone.

Being reminded once again of her umbreon, Sarah couldn't help herself as she once again started to cry once more. "M-mother, I'm alright." She said softly. "Umbreon… h-he saved me." She said.

"Wait, what do you mean he saved you, saved you from what?" Angela asked even more concerned now.

"Just… just some…" Before Sarah could finish her sentence, she heard Thomas finally moving on his own.

"What happened?" He asked slowly, Rebecca hugging him deeply

'_Thomas, are you alright?'_ Rebecca asked as he got up and looked around. Sarah quickly dropped her phone, glad to see that he was recovering, she didn't think she could stand any other losses today.

"Where are we?" He asked slowly becoming aware of his surroundings and his own wounds. "Wait!" He quickly darted around a bit. "I can't feel Radara, where is she?" Thomas quickly stated.

Sarah fumbled a bit, quickly handing him his belt. Thomas quickly looked at Sarah very concerned as he noticed the lack of his other pokemon.

'_Juno says that she had to deal with Radara herself.'_ Rebecca told him as he looked to Juno.

"Sarah, Sarah, are you there? What happened? Sarah!" Sarah's phone was suddenly very loud, Sarah having accidentally hit the volume controls when she picked her phone back up.

"I'm fine." Sarah said slowly.

"Tell me, what did your umbreon save you from. Why was that store attacked, are you sure your okay." Angela demanded again.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm fine." Sarah paused for a few. "I-it … it was j-just some team rocket attack." Sarah lied knowing that she couldn't really tell her mother what happened.

Thomas was slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings as he looked back to Sarah, hugging Rebecca a bit tightly. "Sarah… can you come here for a moment, I need to tell you something." Thomas said softly, not wanting Sarah's mother to overhear him.

"Just give me a minute, Thomas needs my help." Sarah said as she set her phone down and moved over to him, despite her mother's voice yelling over the line again.

"Sarah… I hate to say this, especially right now, but you need to make a choice tonight. The knights already proved that they don't care about you anymore, or your pokemon." Thomas said looking down, holding Rebecca a bit tighter. "To them, we are all guilty of crimes against Arceus, they will do anything they can to us, to our pokemon, our families, to make sure that I am killed. You… you have two choices. I can't ever return back to the Falston Manor, not now. You can try to head back home, and pray that knights leave you alone, but I doubt they will. If you leave, I can't protect you, I can't even begin to tell you what the knights will do anymore. As long as you stay away from them, your mother should be safe, your father will see to that, telling them anything they ask about me. If you go back to them, they may try to force you to tell them everything you know about me, and they'll use any means they can to make you talk." Thomas couldn't help but think on the matter now, having forced Sarah to make a choice he never wanted to make himself. "If you want to protect your mother though… you have to tell her to never call you again, to forget about you. I can only so much to keep you safe, but only if you continue to travel with me, and do as I say. If you go back to them, I can't protect you or them. I know it hurts to hear this, but if you truly want to protect them, you have to leave them behind." Thomas's words were firm, but despite this, Sarah could hear the hurt in his voice from even suggesting abandoning her parents.

Sarah just looked at him, even Rebecca gave him a surprised look as he pulled her closer. "T-thomas… y-you can't r-really mean that?" Sarah gasped a bit, shaking a bit at the thought.

"The knights are no longer honor bound to protect the innocent. I don't even think they'll bother trying to protect anyone who doesn't help them. The knights will contact our parents again, and when they do, I know they won't care who they hurt trying to find me anymore. They already know that you've traveled with me for a long time now, and they will use that as an excuse to attack and kidnap you if they have to. Your father still loves your mother, and he'll do everything he can to protect her, his hate of me will ensure that. He'll tell them anything he can about me, which should buy their favor. I'm not worried about Andrew, I know he can handle himself. He always has and unless the knights make a full on assault, he can fend them off." Thomas had to turn his head away from her, unable to believe his own words at first, but knowing that they were true. Not only was he cutting himself off from his foster family, the life he had grown up knowing, he was doing the exact same now to Sarah. He was forcing her to forget about her past, to leave everything behind in the effort to try and protect their families, their loved ones and friends.

Sarah looked at him and how tightly he was holding Rebecca, hurting badly from pulling her into this. She fell back to her knees as she thought about all that he had said. She was torn now, she couldn't just leave her mother behind, not like this. Her thoughts turned to her pokemon though, the knights had already killed her umbreon, she knew that they couldn't be trusted, they would attack her.

At the same time, she couldn't just leave all of her friends, her family… her mother. In order to save them, she would have to abandon them, give up everything she knew. She was being asked so much right now, and without any promised that those she loved would be truly safe even.

She looks at him again, he is still holding tightly onto Rebecca as he looks at her, waiting for her answer. She could tell though that after today, he was right, they would come for her just as they were coming for him. She couldn't go home, not now and even if she did, she would spend it constantly looking over her shoulders, having to tell lies just to protect them from the danger she would put them in. And what if she did go back and they did capture her. She could try to hide the truth from them, but honestly what was there for her to hide from the knights. She knew the real Thomas now, she knew what he was, what his purpose, how he treated others. She knew that his task was to protect the legendary pokemon, but the knights would never listen to that and what would they do to try and make her tell the so called truths they wanted hear.

Just thinking about it so hard, she can't help but think its all just a bad dream still, but deep down, she knew it wasn't anymore. She had no choice, she would have to stick with him, even if it meant giving up so much without expecting anything in return. Coming to that thought, a much bigger thought comes to mind. Thomas, he had been tasked with something so much greater, having to defend the legendary pokemon themselves, and not just once in life, but for his entire life, and the life after that, and so on. For him, it was never ending, he wasn't paid for it, he wasn't helped, there was never any gifts for him, he wasn't even given a thank you for his work. And just to top it off, he had the knights on his trail trying to kill him at any cost any more.

The only good thing he had anymore was Rebecca, a tiny hint of hope in his unending life right now and seeing her there with him. The knights had already taken one of their pokemon and she wasn't about to let them take anymore as she stands herself up, her eyes still wet a bit, but her resolve is sound.

"I… I-I w-will go with you Thomas." She states a bit unsteadily, but nodding firmly. "If you'll let me, I'll join you and help you beat this thing and knights." She says as she looked at him.

Thomas looks up at her in a new light, knowing what choice she had just made. He tries to stand up, but he had lost a fair bit of blood from the cacturne's hug and just standing was a hard task for him right now. That doesn't stop him though as he at the very least, tries to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. For once though, Rebecca actually helps him do something for Sarah though, helping to support and move him towards Sarah.

Something catches both of their ears though as he places his hand on her shoulder, Sarah's mother is still on the phone, shouting out for Sarah to make sure she is okay. Sarah quickly picks it back up. "Mom, I need you to calm down ok and just listen." She says slowly, still having a few remaining doubts. "Before you say anything, just let me speak." She pauses for a few trying to think of what to say, but ultimately, there is no preparing for it and she just starts, knowing that if she never says it now, she might never say it at all. "I need you t-t-to just quit calling me for a while okay… I… I have some, some things that I have to do and I can't come home until they're done." Sarah pauses again trying to ignore her mother, finding a small button that mutes her mother, but still lets her talk. She quickly presses it and holds it while she continues knowing that it would make it easier on her.

"I have to go for a while. Don't worry, I'll be safe, Thomas will make sure I am. It's nothing illegal or anything like, but I just can't come home right now. There are some people after Thomas right now and I want to help him, they'll probably come to you, lying about me and Thomas to try and find him. Don't believe anything they say." Sarah's voice starts to slow again as she holds back more tears. Thomas sees her as she starts to fall apart again and tries to have Rebecca move him closer to comfort her some more, but Sarah just raises her hand to stop him.

"J-Just trust m-me w-when I say I'm d-doing this to protect you and p-please don't call me back…" Sarah finally fell back a bit, Thomas helping to ease her into a sitting position on a rusted bed frame. "I love you." She said right before she hung up and quickly pulled out the battery knowing that when her mother called back, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from picking it back up.

Blaze quickly comes over along with the rest of her pokemon, all curling around her to keep her warm and let her know that she wasn't alone, that she still had them.

Thomas pulls back a bit with Rebecca, giving her a bit room. She had lost one of her beloved pokemon and then he had essentially forced her to leave her mother behind as well. "Rebecca." Thomas said softly, giving Sarah some space. "I need you to quit being childish with her from now on. I don't want you making this trip any harder for her then it already is."

Rebecca looks at him a bit startled by this. _'I have been nice to her, but I…'_ She pauses as she looks back to him and the look on his face, his aura telling her how much he was hurting himself for getting her caught up in this mess, and knowing that it would only get worse. She looks back to Sarah and her pokemon, Sarah still crying as her pokemon do whatever they can for her. She nods lightly as she once again looks to Thomas. _'I will Thomas.'_ She said softly.

The night was harsh, but Thomas was thankful for the bad weather for once. With Rebecca's help, he had reinforced the barricade on the open wall, even hanging up some large curtains over the top of it to hide them further and help keep out the heavy rain. Satisfied that they had done a proper job hiding themselves, Thomas decided that they would need a fire, and built a small one in the middle of the room before going into a meditative like state to try and boost the power of his recovery move. Rebecca helped him with her aura and by the end of the night, Thomas was able to walk entirely on his own, with barely more then a few minor scars where the cacturne's barbs have torn into his flesh.

Thomas left Sarah alone for the most part as well, merely letting her pokemon comfort and care for her right now, but still made sure to let her know that if she needed his help for anything, she only had to ask. Finally, Thomas took care of one last thing himself, pulling out his phone. "Hey Andrew. This is Thomas." Thomas smiled a bit, glad to have the answering machine pick up for him. "I hope this message reaches you soon, I'm sorry I can't be there in person, but something has come up. I'm afraid I can't really go into detail about it, but I… can't really… come back to the manor." Thomas paused. Despite having spent the past few months trying to figure out what to tell Andrew, there was really nothing he could say, but at least he had known this was coming. "I've got to go for a while and I don't think I'll ever be coming back. I'll be leaving with Sarah and I'm hoping that you can help keep an eye on her mother for me, make sure that she's okay with Sarah leaving like I am. I won't lie, things will be rough for us. Just try to help her mother understand that it really is for her own protection. I know they've contacted you already, a group of people asking questions about me, making me look bad, trying to convince you that I've wronged them in someway. Whatever you do, don't trust them, they are worse then Team Aqua and Magma combined and the only thing they care for is getting to me." Thomas stopped again, sighing a bit as he looked around, Sarah had finally fallen asleep, leaning back on her arcanine while her other pokemon all curled up around her to keep her warm. "I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I'm doing everything I can to protect you. I'll be getting rid of this phone and Sarah's in the morning, so please just forget about finding me. You know how well I can hide when I want to, and this time, I have no choice but to hide."

Thomas saw a small shadow outside the curtain of the cabin when another flash of lighting lit up the area and he quickly dropped his phone, picking up his blade and charged the barricade. He growled a bit, rather annoyed to just find that the winds had blown a worn and torn umbrella past the cabin. He quickly returned to the phone and picked up his phone again. "Andrew I'm really sorry for this, but…" Thomas never got a chance to finish, a voice on the other end had picked up.

"Thomas, is that you?" Andrew asked.

"Andrew?" Thomas was rather surprised. "You're still supposed to be Kanto, why are you back home?"

"Never mind that, Thomas. What is this about you leaving. What's going on?" Andrew asked very worried.

"I can't say…" Thomas replied as he bit his lip, he had really hoped to avoid this. "Look, just listen to me. Those men who've contacted you about me, just never let them in. You know who I am and I want you to remember me that way."

"Thomas, those men, who are they. Are they with that man who told us you kidnapped Sarah at the Cloyster. And what's all this about remembering you the way you are?" Andrew demanded

"They are some very fanatical people, and they will say anything to try and convince you that I'm not who you think I am." Thomas stated. "I promise that I'll take care of Rebecca, treat her the way she deserves to be treated, and I'll do the same for Sarah. They've already killed her umbreon and they've tried to kill me as well,... because I'm different." Thomas said slowly, his voice starting to lack any emotion now.

"Thomas, what is going on? Tell me, I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Andrew was very impatient, hardly letting Thomas finish when he didn't get his question answered.

"My father kept a journal, I've kept it hidden in my dresser. It won't make much sense, but it will explain things. There is a small list of pre-paid safe deposit boxes on the last few pages and the keys for them in my father's old back pack in one of the side pockets. Do me a favor and collect their contents please, but just the ones in Hoenn. It would mean a lot to me, I'm sorry for never telling you about them." Thomas said as he turned to look back at the rain. "Andrew… I've got to go. I'm getting rid of my phone, so it won't do any good to call back." Thomas's final words were flat in tone as he looked up to Rebecca.

"Now Thomas, hold on." Andrew shouted finally having a chance to speak. "I don't know what kind of trouble-" Thomas cut him off before he could finish though.

"Tell the others that we'll miss them." He quickly let a charge flow through his arm, frying his phone before he moved to the barricade and threw it out into the rain. He looked back to Rebecca as she stood there, while his face was blank, she could tell in his aura, he was no better off then Sarah though.

xXx

When morning came, Thomas packed up everything they needed, but left a few things behind intentionally. Having already fried his phone, he did the same to Sarah's phone, as well as their PokeNavs and PokeDexs. Sarah knew that it had to be done, but still couldn't help but think about what all she was losing.

Radara was finally awake once again as well, and that was a good thing. Thomas would need her powers today a lot, he had a lot of things that needed done, and Radara would be the only one able to hide their footsteps as they moved. Thomas knew that they couldn't stay in Kanto, or the surrounding regions for that matter, not with the knights so close behind them. One place came to mind though, but Thomas personally had never been there, although several of brothers and sisters had told him about it. Of course, that was long before the days of the traitor.

His first order of business was of course getting them further away from the knights, he had no way to know how close they were, they had already found and attacked them, in a single day no less. He quickly packed up their things and left. Thomas normally hated a chilled foggy morning, but given what had happened, it seemed perfectly fitting, even providing some extra cover.

Thomas quickly set their course, he had a few last minute stops he would have to make, they didn't have much cash on hand to just travel to another region, and a distant one at that. The fact that they had cut themselves off from their parents also meant that they didn't have a backup cash supply if they really needed it. Thomas knew it was time to go collect some more of his hidden stashes, and they would need to change themselves as well.

Thomas lead the way right through the heart of the forest they were in, and it was a tense trip. Their losses from yesterday still hung over them. Thomas knew that they had to hurry, and Sarah knew it too, but she wasn't use to losing someone. Thomas wasn't really use to it himself, but it wasn't a new thing for him and he just pressed on, he knew that there was no bringing them back, and it was no use for him to think how things could have been different. He did his best to help comfort Sarah and try to have her keep up with him, but he did take it a bit slow for her at the same time. They took cover even at the slightest sound, always staying alert.

They finally reached a small travel plaza, the halfway point for a freeway in the middle of the forest. Thomas had Sarah hang back with both Juno and Blaze guarding her while he went to get them a few things. He quickly found the largest hooded sweatshirt he could find in their packs and put it on, covering his face.

He went in with what cash he had and Radara quickly went to work. Thomas even did the best he could to hide their presence, using whatever simple tricks he could to cause as much misdirection as possible. He was very selective in what he got though, some markers, a few quick and easy meals, new coats and hats, and most importantly, a pair of thick sunglasses and a walking cane, which he was quite surprised, and very thankful to find there.

He quickly paid for his things, Radara distracting the clerk for him as they paid and then left. He quickly met back up with Sarah and they quickly left again. Thomas refused to stop even after the sun started to set, but still took it slow with Sarah, finally stopping well after the moon had risen. They set up a very small camp, but no fire, merely using there new coats and some blankets to keep warm. Thomas did set up a partial cover over them though, taken several fallen branches and making a quick cover for them to sleep under. Thomas still tried to make things up with Rebecca though, letting her sleep with him that night, and the next for having to keep her in her pokeball all day.

xXx

The next two weeks were roughly the same. Thomas suddenly trusted no one, never stayed put, and took the most direct to the last few stops he had to make. Along the way, he collected that few stashes he had, most of them prepaid safety deposit boxes, and eventually they traded off all of their original gear for different gear. At last, they were ready to leave the region, taking the one route that he knew the knights wouldn't think of covering because he would have never of taken it before. They were leaving by plane. They were travailing the one way that Thomas feared more than any thing ,flying high in they sky. Thomas cheated though, having Radara hypnotize him just before he boarded the plane.

Sarah looks out the window of the small charter plane. Looking at the forest as it slowly becomes a a blurr and then it just shrinks slowly as they rise into the sky, quickly followed by the entire kanto region. She wonders when she will finally get to return home to her mother. Even though she deeply wanted to just quit and see her mother, she was still very firm with her resolve though, clenching her fist knowing that she will get stronger. Not just for her own sake, but for her pokemon. She would not let another of her pokemon die defending her while she just stood by. She would protect them just as they protected her this time, and she would help to protect Thomas and his pokemon as well. She looks over to Thomas, sleeping quiet peacefully, with Radara in the seat next to him, and Rebecca on his other side. Thomas has paid good money for this plane, strictly because it allowed pokemon to sit with them, to let their trainers keep them calm, or in this case, to help keep him calm. Radara had explained to her that it was better for Thomas to sleep during then trip, rather then stay under her control, so he wouldn't fight her for control if things got just a bit rough. Looking at him, she could help but wonder what he was thinking about, quickly coming to the thought that he was probably thinking about all of them.

Sarah smiled a bit as she looked at him, thinking about how peaceful he was, but she knew that no matter how peaceful he looked, this was far from a vacation. They need to get away just for a while, to regroup and recover for now.

xXx

The alakazam floats on the edge of a cliff near the Indigo Plateau with the others all around him.

(Is it time to attack them yet?) The machamp is flexing his mucsles, obviously bored and tired of waiting.

The alakazam sighs wearily. _'The watcher still has time to make his choice, and it is better if we leave him be, leaving the region. She still protects her thoughts from me though, or at least she tries to.'_ The alakazam smiles thinking of Radara. _'No, they are not our concern for now, she is following as we speak. We have our new orders here.'_ He nods as he turns to the elite four area. _'Have you gathered the humans for our cause?'_ He asks as the lucario joins them.

'_Yes, they are easily bribed by that green paper and shiny stuff. They are all willing to follow us, though some of them to be taught that they would not be in charge. Even if they resist, they will learn soon enough.'_ The lucario grins as he looks over his blood spattered paws and chest spike.

(So, I assume we will be just causing trouble then?) The blaziken states leaning against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest.

'_Our master said it's time to make the watcher chose his job protecting Arcues is more then important then stopping us. We are just going to make him chose sooner then he thinks. Though I do hope for him to fight, just so I have to a reason to rescue my love from him.'_ The alakazam smiles. 

'_Either way, its time to flex our power and set this world ablaze. Those who do not bend to our lord's will will fall and be crushed.'_ The lucario begins to laugh as the machamp joins him, the alakazam smiles knowingly. The blaziken just stands there impassively knowing all to well what is about to happen.

_

A choice must be made light or darkness. A year will pass before the answer is given. Will that choice save us or destroy us. Only time will tell.

Quote of Catsithx


	18. Chapter 18

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 18

A year had pasted since Thomas and Sarah had managed to leave the Kanto region, both of them having cut off all contact between their friends and family to try and protect them. At a cost even Thomas realizes was harder than he expected. They had quickly headed for the Unova region, choosing to fly to get there fast and undetected. Hoping this will take them far from the reach Of the Knights that have hunted them. Even in all of his lifetimes though, it was still Thomas's first time in Unova and it was already quiet the new adventure for both of them. They still had a new set of rules in place though, never spending much time in towns if they could help it for now. Though with their luck trouble seems to find them.

Thomas was once again leaning against a tree. He was breathing a bit hard, panting even as he tried to catch his breath. He could see Village Bridge just down the river, but he still had a long ways to go. Radara had to once again stop next to him as well, he wasn't in the best condition at the moment.

"Thomas?" Sarah called out as she doubled back to search for him.

"Over… over here." Thomas called out as Sarah found him.

"Thomas, what's with you lately?" Sarah asked as she looked at him. She was breathing a bit hard herself, they had been training by running up and down along side the river for the past few weeks, training themselves along with their pokemon.

"I…I think my… my next change…" Thomas coughed a bit hard as he looked at her.

"Change, what change?" Sarah asked. "You said that the only change you'd be going through for the next month was just going to be your electrical ones." She looked at him rather confused.

"That should have… been everything for now." He replied.

'_Thomas, there is only one explanation for this. That thing inside us is forcing your evolution to speed up.'_ Radara stated as looked at him. _'While unintentional, you have already learned how to teleport as the need arises, not to mention how quickly several of your smaller changes have taken place already. There is no other reason for this change to happen so soon, much less without its usual warnings.'_

"Wait, I thought his changes were only coming a few days early." Sarah stated.

"That taint… its growing everyday… and forcing me… to grow with it." Thomas stated finally standing up on his own again. He took a few minutes to catch his breath again before looking at him. "Come on. We need to get those supplies and get back to the cave."

Sarah gave him a worried look as he started running again. "What's going on with him this time?" She asked Radara.

'_His lungs are dividing in a sense.' _Radara replied as she moved to catch up to Thomas along with Sarah.

"What? How could his lungs be dividing?" Sarah looked back and forth between him and Radara.

'_In the most basic terms, all the watchers are the same. Because some watchers had need of a 'fire' or 'ice' or even a 'poison' lung, all of the watchers went through the same change. They all shared the same kind of trials as each other, like how they all have two sets of eyes.'_ Radara explained as they closed the distance to Village Bridge.

"That still doesn't explain how it works." Sarah sighed a bit continued to keep a close eye on Thomas. "Are you sure he is alright? I know he's been a lot more friendly and open with me in the last year, but he still keeps so many things to himself."

'_This is perfectly normal for this stage of his evolution, aside from happening so soon.' _Radara explained. _'He'll just be short of breath for a while. He is only able to use part of lungs right now. The lower half of them are slowly separating themselves from the rest of the lung and growing into separate lungs. He'll be perfectly fine, he's just not getting as much oxygen in his blood as usual for now.'_

Sarah nodded, she still didn't understand, but with Radara acting so calm about it, she was sure he would be okay.

With Thomas in his current state though, they were slower then usual to get to Village Bridge. Once there, Thomas had to take another long break to catch his breath. He gave a reassuring smile though as she moved over to him. "Its normal." He said. "Just… just give me a few… you go ahead and… and get the food." He stated as Radara took her spot next to him.

Thomas just leaned against the light pole he was next to for a few more before he finally started to move again, heading for the trainer's shop. They needed some new things again and he was interested in a few other items as well.

The place was rather busy for being a small town, but Thomas ignored it as much as he could. He had already priced out everything he needed, carrying just a bit more then what he expected to pay as he checked his list. "Oh, hey look at them. Ya don't see many espeons around here." A voice called out. "I've always wanted to battle one of them. I'm sure Vincent would as well." Another voice called out.

"Sorry, I don't have time." Thomas quickly countered as he hurried down the isle to get a few new flashlights and a new multi-purpose recharging kit. Normally, the kit's charging system would be hooked up to an electric type pokemon who would use a basic electrical attack to charge up the kit's batteries and in turn, power other devices. Given his own natural abilities however, Thomas could charge the unit himself.

With the kit in hand, he quickly headed over to get the rest of things on his list. "Come on you, outside. I've heard of those espeons being powerful and I want to see just how tough they are." Thomas of course not having enough extra cash to even make it worthwhile, much less caring for a battle at all just ignored the trainer as he went to pick up the rest of his things.

"Hey you, I said I'm challenging you to a pokemon battle." The voice called out again, but Thomas didn't even bother looking. He simply went to grab a pair of new canteens with built in purifiers and an extra set of filters for both of them. Additionally, he also picked up a new set of lightweight cooking gear and new hiking packs to replace their old set.

Gathering so many different things though, all spread through out the store, Thomas quickly found himself out of breath again as he reached the registers and paid for his things before moving to a set of counters in the back where people could pack up their things as needed.

Right as he was about to leave the store, a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "I said I want to battle that espeon, rumor says that they are suppose to be strong, or is it just so weak that it can't fight." The trainer stated in a rather firm but also annoyed tone of voice.

It annoyed Thomas that the trainer referred to Radara as an it and he could tell it was pissing her off badly as her jewel began to glow a bit. Thomas didn't want to battle he just wanted to get back to camp and rest a bit and away from this annoying trainer.

"If you looking to make a quick buck, I've just spent what cash I had for these supplies. Besides, there isn't a pokemon center in the area." Thomas stated pulling his shoulder away from the guy.

"What, do you think you're too good to battle me, or maybe you have a little attitude problem." The trainer stated as a group quickly started to gather around. "This guy here things he's too good to battle me." The trainer shouted out as his gang all started laughing.

A few of the elderly couples nearby though who had heard the commotion mere sighed and shook their heads. "Take your silly battles out of town." One of them called out. Thomas sighed himself, and used the minor distraction to slip away unnoticed at first. He quickly caught up to Sarah as she walked out of the grocery store with a pair large bags. Thomas helped her taking one of the bags and moved to a picnic table next to the store to help put everything away and hand Sarah her new pack.

Thomas looked back, easily able to see the small gang of trainers looking around for him from over Sarah's shoulder. They attempted to make a clean getaway, but right as they were about to get off Village Bridge, the gang had caught up to them.

"Where do you think you're going?" The leader of the group grinned. "You owe me a battle."

"Are you seriously that bored that you have stalk any trainer who shows up or do you merely lack the brains to understand the word no." Thomas stated. "We've got a long walk back to our campsite and I left my pokemon back there for a well earned break."

"What kind of idiot trainer doesn't take their pokemon with them where ever they go." Another trainer from the group laughed.

"Or are you just so weak that you can't catch any other pokemon." A different trainer called out, the group once again breaking into laughter.

"Come on Thomas, let's just get out of here." Sarah grumbled, hating this kind of arrogant trainer the most.

Both of them turned to start hiking back only to have the group behind them all call out their pokemon. A pair of krokorok now standing between them and the hiking path they intended to us.

"You do know that forcing another into a pokemon battle is a criminal offense." Thomas growled a bit.

"You're the one who's in trouble here. My name is Vincent and this is my turf, you're going to battle me if you want to leave." The gang leader smirked.

Radara walks in front of Thomas, her jewel already glowing a bit as she takes her stance.

Vincent just smiles. "Oh ho, your pokemon seems ready to fight even if your not in the mood."

Thomas just sighs lightly. _'Radara, we don't have time for this and I'm still weak from my current condition.'_

Radara just smiles looking back to Thomas. _'He won't go away unless we battle him. Perhaps a good thrashing will convince him otherwise.'_ Her smile just gets bigger know how this is going to turn out.

"Fine, if it will make you go away, we'll make this a simple battle, one on one, ending what one of the pokemon faint. I already said I don't have any cash on me, so it will be just a basic match." Thomas stated.

"In that case, we'll make it a two on two battle just for some extra fun." Vincent smirked seeing Sarah carrying a pokeball on her belt.

Thomas went to argue, but Sarah quickly called out Blaze. "Okay fine, then a two on two it is." She grumbled a bit.

'Just have Blaze follow my lead.' Radara stated to Sarah as she prepared for battle.  
Vincent quickly calling up one of his buddies to join him. "Oh, an arcanine, this should be interesting indeed. Alright Xent, let's make this quick and easy." Vicent smirked as he pulled out a escavalier while Xent called out his pokemon, a mienshao.

Xent smirked as he quickly started the battle. "Zia, let's show them how its done." He stated, Zia already knowing what move to start with as it quickly charged in towards Blaze thinking him to the be bigger threat since it had a type advantage for Vincent's escavalier. Zia was quickly cut though as a shadow ball was launched at him from Radara, who could already tell something was off about Zia.

'_Thomas, something's wrong. That mienshao, its mind is hidden to me. Its there, but obviously well trained.' _Radara told Thomas and Blaze as Sarah called for her own counter.

Blaze quickly followed the command, firing a fire blast right at Zia while it had its sights on Radara. Blaze quickly followed up the attack up with another one though, trying to slam its shoulder into Zia. With both Radara and Blaze attacking Zia though, Vincent just smiled.

"Hammer, use Iron head." Vincent called as his escavalier took off jumping up and flipping over in mid air, ready to strike Radara., while having been looking strictly at Zia, was ready for the attack though, jumping back herself as she prepared her own move.

Thomas just smiled, he wouldn't have to issue any commands, which gave him a serious advantage, and with Sarah calling out all of her attacks by numbered routines, their attacks were unpredictable at first. Radara already preparing her next move, hoping to end this quickly with a partially charged hyper beam as the jewel on her head began to glow brightly.

"Quickly, get it with a poison jab." Vincent called out as his escavalier quickly stopped its iron head move and thrust one of his lances towards Radara before she could finish charging her move. Radara was quickly forced to keep back up, and rolling over or jumping over the thrusting lances, the escavalier wasn't giving her time to use any move, even her teleport to get some range on the opponent.

"Use a 23 twist and follow up with 37." Sarah called out to Blaze as he tried to do the same to thing to Zia, and keep them on the defensive. Blaze moved in ready with a fire fang, obviously going in to try and Zia on the left side, which Zia easily avoided, only to have Blaze suddenly turn around and try to hit Zia on the right side with an iron tail. Zia just barely avoided that move as well, only to get jumped on by Radara.

While constantly avoiding the oncoming attacks from escavalier, she had been working her way closer to Blaze and Zia, Blaze helping her by trying to lead Zia closer to her as well. "Come on, hit that little pink puffball already." Vincent called out. As the escavalier made one attempt to get Radara with a poison jab, Radara rolled off to the side of the attack and Zia. Radara growled at that name, always hating it as she blasted the ground in front of her with a psybeam, kicking up a mass of dust into the air.

"Hit it with 18." Sarah called out, a burst of fire quickly clearing the dust, having hit the escavalier with a direct hit. It had tried to block some of the attack, but was still hurt and couldn't see Radara as she prepared a psychic, effectively throwing the escavalier into a tree, only to quickly turn and tackle Zia as well.

She quickly jumped back as soon as her attack landed on Zia, as the rest of the dust cleared though, she understood at last why she couldn't read Zia's thoughts. Instead of a mienshao standing where Zia used to be, now there was a zoroark.

"What?" Sarah looked on very confused, having only heard partial claims about zoroark, but never actually meeting one before.

"Its called a zoroark, the illusion pokemon." Thomas quickly filled her as Radara quickly went to attack Zia again, but Zia quickly went after Blaze who as in just as much disbelief as Sarah right now. Blaze took a night slash to the side, able to avoid part of the move, but still getting hit as Radara tried hitting with its own attack. Zia quickly dodged though.

"I guess that trick is up, time to get serious." Xent stated as he spared a quick look to Vincent and his escavalier.

"Come on, get up." Vincent shouted as his escavaliar shook its head as it tried to get back up, but it took a moment.

"Hit it with 14 and follow up with a 57." Sarah called out, this time Blaze trying to hit Zia with a thunder fang, which Zia easily dodged, only to follow up with a fireblast, not at Zia, but at the ground in front of it kick up some more dirt, only to plow through the fireblast and attempt to tackle Zia. At the same time, Radara was attempting to keep Zia busy, knowing that most of her attacks wouldn't have the best effect on Zia.

Xent was obviously looking for some sort of opening, constantly looking back and forth between Blaze and Radara, smiling as he noticed Vincent's escavalier finally back up and charging in from the corner of his eye.

"Radara, finish this quickly." Thomas called out, just in time for Radara to turn and face the incoming escavalier, her eyes glowing as she used her psychic to stop the escavalier with ease. She quickly then used the escavalier as a projectile, throwing it hard into Zia. Xent tried to call something, but Radara was too fast, both pokemon getting tossed into another tree. The escavalier, knock out while Zai was panting, and trying to push the escavalier off of it.

"What, how did you?" Vincent growled as he was forced to return his escavalier.

"You shouldn't have called her a 'pink puffball', she hates that name." Thomas smirked as both Radara and Blaze returned to their trainers. "You two okay?" He asked. Radara nodded, except for some ruffled fur, she was doing fine. Thomas quietly whispered something to her, making sure that Xent and Vincent couldn't hear her. "Did you really have to toss the escavalier that hard?" Radara just smiled as Thomas sighed, she really did hate that name.

Sarah gave Blaze his own check up as well, pleased that the few hits he did take weren't too serious, they could wait for them to get to a pokemon center in a few days time, since there wasn't one in Village Bridge.

Thomas nodded to both Vincent and Xent, not saying anything to Vincent though. "You've got a well trained zoroark, keep up the good work, just quit forcing other trainers to battle." He said as he quickly started back to his camp with Sarah. Xent gave them both a mean look, but stayed still, even holding back Vincent from going after them.

xXx

The next few days was thankfully better with no insistent trainers to bother them, and both Radara and Blaze seemed to have recovered entirely, although Sarah still wanted Blaze to take it easy. They had more then enough supplies to last them until on their next part of the trip, their next stop taking them to Opelucid City, although they still worked to stay off the better known routes.

Thomas was starting to slow down a bit more though, his rapidly coming changes were really starting to catch up to him as he was forced to several long breaks over the week.

At last they set up camp around the halfway point between cities. Sarah was making dinner, while Thomas decided that he needed some more practice with his electrical abilities. Rebecca was all to happy to help him, practicing the use of her aura spheres while they were at it.

Rebecca summoned another aura sphere between her paws, the attack was a bit hard for her to master, and she was still having some trouble with it. "Just relax, take your time." Thomas smiled behind her, storing some of his own power in his left hand, small jolts of electricity jumping over his arm.

Rebecca took another deep breath, as she waited for Thomas's signal. Both of them were aiming towards a large rock on the edge of the clearing they were in. Thomas gave her the signal and Rebecca quickly raised the sphere over her head, throwing it as hard as she could since she hadn't master how to shoot them.

The sphere didn't quite fly on a straight path, weaving a bit to all sides as it flew towards the right as Thomas quickly raised his hand. A small wave of electricity traveled down his arm before bursting from his palm, a loud crack like thunder rang out as a single solid bolt was fired from his hand.

Like Rebecca though, his attack, while straighter in flight, wasn't perfect, instead missing the aura sphere he meant to hit, hitting the edge of the large rock, resulting in a large shower of sparks, and along with it came a loud startled shout.

Everyone quickly looked to the rock just in time to see a zoroark and its trainer quickly move around the boulder, the zoroark obviously looking for a fight after what just happened. "What the fuck was that for?" The trainer demanded, his shirt smoking just a bit in several spots, the sparks from Thomas's attack having peppered him nicely, not burning him, but still hurting and leaving their mark, glaring at Thomas. Thomas could also see that the trainer was obviously looking around the electric type that fired off the attack.

The newly started silence didn't last long though, Sarah couldn't help but start giggling a bit at first, then laughing as she looked at the new trainer, his hair standing out in all directions, full of static, and Rebecca couldn't help but have to turn away herself from how he looked, a large smile on her face as she did her best to hold back her own laugh.

The trainer growled a bit as his zoroark growled itself, taking a quick look to its trainer before looking back to Thomas and the others, only to slowly look back its trainer a second time, hands quickly going its mouth as it let out own chuckle. Radara lifted her head, unburying herself from the sleeping bags she was under, trying to get some sleep.

It took Thomas a few to finally recognize the trainer, while he was busy shouting at him, demanding to get a fight with the pokemon had caused his current look.

"I remember you, from that group back at Village Bridge." Thomas stated, quickly getting everyone to quite down. "Xent I think it was." The trainer quickly nodded in response to his name. "Why did you follow us?"

"A trainer like you. You just show up out of nowhere, with out of region pokemon, and then defeat me and Vincent in a double battle like it was nothing. Trainers like you don't go unnoticed. Just who the fuck are you?" Xent quickly countered.

"There is no need for that rude tongue of yours." Thomas growled as Radara quickly walked over to his side. Everyone had finally stopped laughing though as Radara and Xent's zoroark had their own little stare down. "We're just a couple of trainers looking to relax. We got tired of things back home and wanted to just visit Unova in peace." Xent just continued to glare at him for a few. "Now what are you doing here?"

"I was curious about you, and I wanted a rematch with that puffball." Xent stated.

Thomas quickly moved his hand back to keep Radara from taking action herself.

Before Xent or Thomas could finish their stare down though, there was a large commotion in the woods headed there way. Everyone turned towards the trees, watching, wondering what was going on. Thomas was the first to get close, Radara right by his side as a large group of pokemon all burst through the trees. Sarah cried out in shock as some of them went after her, or rather the cooking gear where she was nearly finished with their meal, while others charged for the tent and bags.

Radara was quick to respond, creating a barrier around their bags, a few the pokemon beating on the barrier to get their things. Others quickly turned to go after everyone else there, Rebecca quickly attacking one that was going for Thomas, just as Xent's zoroark did the same for him.

It took Sarah a minute to call out her pokemon Blaze to help out when a second large group of pokemon burst out from the trees as well, but rather then go after Thomas and the others, they tried to attack the first group of pokemon. Thomas easily grabbed a rufflet that was coming at him, giving it a nasty shock to disorient it, before gently tossing it over to a large bush as he looked around trying to figure out what was going on.

Radara was easily holding her own, the pokemon what tried to charge her all falling over sleeping very quickly, her gem glowing brightly as she worked to try and stop the fight.

Xent was also busy, having pulled out a crowbar to defend himself from a pawniard that was attacking him, while his zoroark used it illusions to keep another few pokemon busy.

Sarah was mostly trying to stay out of the way, as she let Blaze, the only pokemon she had on her at the moment help try to end the fight. She attempted to make her way to her pack where her other pokemon were, but it was hard with so many pokemon all fighting in the clearing at the same time. She managed to duck under one stray attack, but didn't see another one coming at her. She was knocked over before it hit though, a mienshao having jumped up, grabbing her arm, and pulling her down in time to avoid the attack. The mienshao then went to defend her further, another pawniard trying to attack them both, but the mienshao held its ground, following Sarah a bit to make sure that nothing else attack her as she got to her bag calling out the rest of her pokemon.

Before she could call any of her other pokemon out though, a pair of pokemon rangers ran into the clearing from the same direction that all of the pokemon had come from. "Come on, round them already." One of the rangers shouted as most of the first group of pokemon quickly scattered, a deliberd throwing a few presents at all of them as it ran off.

The mienshao that had helped Sarah, quickly tried to deflect one of the presents, but it blew up in its face, sending it flying back, Sarah just barely able to catch it, the mienshao have been knocked out from the blast.

Both rangers growled in annoyance, having to stop and catch their breaths. "Are you three alright?" One of them asked.

"What just happened? Since when do pokemon herds like that just show up out of nowhere, trash a camp like ours and actively try to steal our things?" Thomas growled.

"Team plasma… they… they set off some sort of device." One of the rangers explained as second group of pokemon looked to them. "Go on, we can't catch up." The rangers said letting all of their partners return back to where they had come from. "We have a small ranger outpost up the road, and next thing we know all the pokemon we had asked for help to rebuild it after a bad storm knocked everything down starting going nuts. They tried to break our radios, tore up our tents, even attacked a few other people who were there helping out."

Thomas looked at them as he began to try and see what all had been lost in their camp. "That hardly explains their behavior." Thomas stated.

"Something about that device, it made all the pokemon in the area go nuts, but only actively attacked trainers and their camps. We've been chasing them all day and you're the tenth group that those pokemon have attacked. And trust us, you got off lightly with all they did today. They don't seem to be so aggressive anymore." The rangers explained. "There were eight of us when we started to chase after them, but we had to leave a ranger behind with every group who got hurt today."

"We haven't been here long, but I could have sworn that this Team Plasma we keep hearing about just want pokemon set free." Sarah said as she sat down to look the mienshao over, it was still unconscious and she was worried about it.

"We've never seen this kind of thing before." The rangers countered. "We saw a grunt just before all pokemon went nuts, but his seemed fine. But just like with us, the pokemon in the area attacked him as well as ran him off before we could catch him. Thankfully whatever he was using blew up on him as soon as he used it. If you three don't think you need the help, we should really start heading back to our camp. We need to spread the word around as fast as possible."

Thomas growled a bit at those words. That was kind of thing he knew he had to look into, if a thing like was set off in a city, it would affect everyone, and people could end up turning on pokemon all together if it was used in a few cities all at once, not to mention what would happen if it affected the legendaries.

He looked over to Xent once more as soon as the rangers. "You have all your things, go find another place to set up."

"Not until I get some answers." Xent countered very firmly, having finally forced his hair back down to normal.

"Excuse me?" Thomas stated, already in a bad mood, that thing inside him cackling a bit, wanting a fight.

"What are you?" Xent's words were slow, and very firm, his zoroark giving him a nasty look.

"I said you can leave." Thomas repeated as Radara took her own stance.

"I saw you grab the rufflet, then your hands sparked, and you tossed it aside, and its still just laying there." Xent countered.

"You're seeing things." Thomas quickly replied.

Xent quickly lifted his hand up, showing his PokeNav, which had a nice large picture of Thomas, one of his hands sparking as he had to fend off a karrablast. "Was I seeing things?" Xent asked. "Or perhaps I should pull up this viral video of some guy blowing up a TV in kanto city, which now that I think about, your about his height and you have a shiny lucario, and an espeon." He hit another button and the video being played on his pokenav. It was blurry and not very clear, but it was definitely Thomas in the video as he threw a hand up and fired a bolt of lighting at the TV screen that was across the street as the video showed the camera dropping to the ground.

Thomas and Sarah both looked at him rather shocked, ever since they had moved to Unova, they had stayed out of site, never looking for trouble, and did their best not to use any internet connection that could possibly lead the knights to Unova. Xent just smiled. "You are the guy aren't you." He grinned. "Now tell me what you are, cause there is no way your human."

Thomas quickly went into action, a small, but still strong bolt of lighting flying out of his right to Xent's PokeNav, causing the device to emit a lot of static and sparks before just dying. Xent's zoroark quickly went into action, taking a defensive stance between him and Thomas, Radara summoning a giant barrier between them. "Just turn around, forget you saw me, and be on you way. If you think I'm that guy from that video, then you know I don't play around." He stated.

Xent went to make another move but Thomas just nodded to Radara, who quickly did her thing. Her eyes flashed as Xent just fell over backwards as Thomas looked to his zoroark. "He's perfectly fine, Radara just put him to sleep." He stated. "Bad things happen to those who travel me, he does not need anyone hunting him down just because they think he knows who and what I really am."

Xent's zoroark was all too ready fight still, as Thomas packed up to his things. "Please, just try and convince him not to follow me." He said letting his powers show for just a second. "I'm the last of my kind and I just want to left alone." Radara quickly sent some images to the zoroark as well, more then powerful enough to do that, even if she couldn't take the zoroark head on in a fight.

"Stay here and protect him, I can tell your loyal to him. He's lucky to have a pokemon so trusting." Thomas explained. The zoroark backed down just a bit, but still growled at them Thomas nodded to Sarah who quickly packed up their things. She knew that this was for the better, and it wasn't the first time that they had put a trainer to sleep, and reasoned with their pokemon. Despite that though, she couldn't just leave the mienshao that had protected her there, not while it was defenseless as well.

"Thank you." Thomas said as soon as they were ready to go, quickly moving through the trees and out of the clearing with Radara and Sarah right behind him, everyone else having returned to their pokeballs. Sarah was looking at her new mienshao and it made her think of her her umbreon and how it protected her. She held the ball tight. After all that training she still had to have some one help her. It pained her to think she still had away to go. What made it worst was that with this event today made her worry could they hide still with what was happening and ignore it or would they once more have to fight?


	19. Chapter 19

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 19

Instead of making it a long slow nearly two week long trip to Opelucid City, Thomas was in more of a rush then ever and in their rush, made the trip in just four days. Sarah could tell that Thomas was very determined and didn't question him at all, she knew the same thing he did, that device could only mean trouble. The only stop they made was at the ranger station on the way there, who made mention of Team Plasma in Opelucid City, having already sent a few rangers there to keep an eye on them now after the use of their new device.

Opelucid City was busy as Thomas and Sarah arrived. The Unova Pokemon League was nearly ready to open up and as always, this meant that anyone wanting to compete this year was in a bit a rush. From getting their last gym badge, to preparing for the trip up to the pokemon league, to even getting their last minute training in, the city as a whole was taking advantage of the sheer number of people there. On the one side, all the newer shops were busy advertising the latest in trainer gear and other goods, while the older part of town did their own thing, offering all sorts of herbal cures and other traditional goods. Even with the vast difference in products between the older historical part of town and the newer technological part of town, every street was filled with trainers and their traveling groups.

This made things both much easier, but at the same time, several times harder for Thomas and Sarah. With all of the people there, they could easily blend in, hide at a moments notice by just moving into the crowds. There was also no loss of deals for them to resupply either, they didn't need anything special or fancy, just the basics, although Thomas did seem to prefer shopping for things in the older parts of town. On the flip side though, there was so many people and pokemon around, Thomas couldn't help but think that it would be a prime target for Team Plasma if they were really the ones behind the device that made all those pokemon go wild. They had to be on the lookout just in case.

With everyone so busy, that made it very hard to look for information. People were too easily distracted by everything around them with the simple questions that Thomas kept asking, but he didn't want to start a panic by hinting about the device that the rangers told him about.

It took a while, but at last they had a small stroke of good luck. With such a large group of people and pokemon present, Team Plasma had taken up a booth of their own, once again urging people to release their pokemon. Thomas sighed, wondering how he could have missed it, much less how so many others could do the same always getting the same response about Team Plasma not being around.

He gave a look around, unable to see Sarah and Radara, assuming that they were in another part of town. He moved in, but made sure that they couldn't see him while sending a telepathic message to Radara. He once again had to push some annoying trainers out of his way, most of them wanting to battle Rebecca or trade for her. He simply down right ignored them this time though as he made his way closer to the Team Plasma stage. He could already see some officers and rangers hanging back in the immediate area, no doubt keeping an eye on them as well.

As he got closer to the stage, he could hear the shouts more easily. Not only were they shouting about setting pokemon free and how it was wrong to keep them locked up, Thomas couldn't help but be confused about their added message that something was coming, that their world was going to change to a better place were all pokemon were free and lived in peace.

Thomas took a seat at a small café right next to the stage as he ordered a strong herbal tea. Without Radara's help, reading their minds would be a bit of a challenge, and he knew that the right kind of tea would help clear his mind a bit to help with that task. While he was at it, he had asked Rebecca to look into their auras.

It took a few, but Thomas had his tea at last, sipping it slowly. It was a bit bitter, but nothing that a little sugar and honey couldn't fix as he stirred his cup. "Do you see anything odd about them?" Thomas asked quietly.

'_They don't seem to be intent on causing harm.'_ Rebecca stated, a small hint of confusion in her voice.

"But something is still off?" Thomas asked.

'_I can't be sure, but they firmly believe that the world is going to change and soon.'_ She said. _'They know something, but its hidden from them. I can see this strange … empty spot in their auras, like part of it was changed somehow, but at the same time it wasn't.' _Rebecca explained. _'Its… its sort of like something was living in their aura, but its left them.'_

"Hmmm?" Thomas gave her a confused look, but never heard her response. Instead he felt something else entirely the second he went to try and read their minds.

Something clearly blocked his abilities and even more alarming, he felt something trying to break into his head. He quickly looked around, very alert now as he searched for this odd power. He heard a small laugh in the back of his head again as he looked to the stage, something was staring right at him, but he couldn't make it out. It was obviously right there, but no one seemed to notice it at all, even Thomas had to look twice, barely able to see the shadowy outline of a pokemon smiling at him before it vanished.

'_Thomas… Thomas.'_ Thomas quickly looked back at the table, Sarah was shaking his shoulder a bit as Radara's voice suddenly became clear.

"Are you alright there?" Sarah asked.

"What do you see on that stage?" Thomas quickly asked as all of them looked over to the stage.

"Just a pair of grunts." Sarah replied as Thomas quickly looked to Rebecca and Radara.

'_What exactly am I suppose to see?'_ Radara asked. _'Is there something else there?'_

'_Thomas, are you sure your okay?' _Rebecca was a bit worried.

"That shadow, I can't exactly describe it." Thomas quickly looked back to the stage, but all he saw was just the two grunts. "Try to read their minds, I couldn't do it, something stopped me from being able to." He said a bit worried himself as Radara focused on the grunts.

'_They don't know anything about the device, they just want people to release their pokemon.'_ Radara stated. _'They do not have any plans to force people into anything, they seem to be doing a legal protest against the pokemon league.'_

Thomas looked down to her. "You're sure?"

"Thomas, are you sure your okay?" Sarah asked a bit more worried then before.

He shook his head a bit. "I…" Thomas paused unsure how to respond. "I don't know." He replied slowly. He turned to look around again though, he could just feel something watching him, making him feel very uneasy as he felt that thing in the back of his head start acting up, welcoming something.

'_Thomas, are you sure you are alright. You seem unnerved, stressed even.'_ Radara stated.

'_Something's wrong with you, what is it?' _Rebecca stated looking at him.

"Something is messing with me, I can feel it." Thomas stated and quickly looked up to the top of one of the stores, a liepard was smiling down at him.

'_You're running out of time, make your decision.' _The voice in his head laughed at him as he growled.

"We're not alone here." Thomas quickly stated looking around as Radara looked up just in time to see the liepard walk off.

'_Thomas, I think I know what the problem is.'_ Radara growled lightly as Rebecca and Sarah looked over as well, but couldn't see the liepard as it jumped down into an alleyway.

Thomas dropped a few bills on the table and takes off, but not too quickly, the last thing he needed right now as extra attention.

'_Why is she here?'_ Thomas growled a bit as his thoughts turned a bit dark, doing his best to contain the taint within him. He had been promised that he had time to make his decision in peace. Not that he really needed it, he would fight this thing. What other choice was there.

Other thoughts slowly leak into his head as he walks though. Memories of the promises that thing had offered him, a life with Rebecca, a child, a normal life. Still, he had to fight it, he couldn't give in. But if he did win by some miracle, then what, what would that change. The knights were still around, and he wasn't allowed to touch them, he would have to let them flourish, always run from them. They would go unpunished for all that they had done, for nearly single handedly killing off his entire race, not to mention the countless lives of those who offered them help or even just got to know them.

'_Such bad thoughts watcher.'_ The liepard's voice is strong in his head again as he walks into the alleyway unnoticed, this time she didn't even bother hiding herself. _'You do realize who is to blame for all of this. She has done nothing to help you or your allies. Yes, I know you mourn those who helped you over the years, only to be slaughtered. If you actually followed how you felt, you could have ended the knights a long time ago and rid the world of those who dare threaten the legendary pokemon.' _She smiles as she mocks him, knowing exactly how to tempt him and his taint as they make it to the alleyway.

'_Greetings watcher Thomas.' _The liepard smiles as she just sits there, as if not caring that he is so close to her. _'I would call you your true name, but I can tell from you clenched fists that you would attack me and then I would be forced to defend myself. It would be such a shame to get all these people and their pokemon involved in our battle. Don't worry, I won't harm you much, but who is say what will happen to all these people if a branch breaks.'_ The group give her a confused look as she makes a raises a paw, extends her claws, then slams her paw back down, her claws glowing a bit. Everyone prepares to defend themselves, only for nothing to happen at first.

A few seconds go by as Thomas slowly tries to relax a bit, only to hear a branch snap behind them, then the crunch of something falling onto a car, followed by a lot of yelling. They all turn to see a very large fallen tree branch across the road, with a young boy trapped under it. Several people are calling for help as they gather around, trying to clear some of the branch. A meowth is licking the boy's face and Thomas could easily that he had tried to protect his pokemon as several rangers come over trying to lift the massive branch off the boy to get him out. As large as it is though, even a group of people couldn't lift the branch off the boy. It's easy to see that if not for the car just barely holding up the end of the branch, it would have right out killed the boy.

It's enough to set off Thomas as he quickly draws his blade and goes in for the kill, only to stop at the last second, the liepard not even flinching. He takes a few steps back, his body sparking with his power as he does his best to contain himself. As if things weren't bad enough, he could feel her in his head. He could feel her power, her dark gifts from the ancient evil easily influenced his own dark taint, eager to spill blood and enjoy a battle.

Rebecca is already trying to pull him back, not caring for the shocks she was getting from him, trying to use her aura to help shield Thomas from the liepard's influence, enough to let him regain control of himself.

The liepard sighs a bit, as if saddened by the turn of events. _'Such a shame watcher, I was actually hoping you would impale me. Still, to see you thinking so hard about it makes me happy.' _The liepard smiles. _'Your time grows short. Unless you accept his offer, you will lose everything. Your time for a decision draws to close and I for one hope you choose to fight him, it gives me the perfect reason to deal with you, kill your companions, though most of them seem spoken for. I would just love to kill your floatzel before her mate, make him watch as she bled to death right in front of him before I end his pitiful existence. Or better yet, I could that muscle bound idiots prey, kill the lucario you seem to hold so close, make her die a slow death, knowing that there was nothing you could do to stop me when you had the cha-' _She quickly retreats to the shadows, Thomas surprisingly not the one to attack, but rather Rebecca. In her own rage for toying so much with Thomas, she had easily summoned and fired a small pack of small aura spheres at the liepard to silence her. Despite her quick retreat though, Rebecca still managed a single hit on the liepard, her aura sticking to her a bit.

The liepard quickly jumps back out of the shadows much further away. _'This is MY land watcher! You have no right to be here, I was doing perfectly fine until you came along. You have no right to be here, you were never there to begin with when we needed you! The knights were right to hunt your kind and I'll be sure they find you now.' _The liepard shouts out at, something different about her voice now, but still very much dark. Rebecca is about to give chase as she turns to jump back into the shadows and leave again, but Sarah quickly pulls her back pointing out another problem.

A ranger had noticed them and was walking towards them, Radara having no choice but to use her power on him to avoid further problems. The ranger stops for a second, only to retreat back to help out with the boy, forgetting that they were there for now. _'We must move and quickly.'_ Radara warned them as Thomas tries this best to calm himself further, Rebecca worried for him as she uses her aura to try and help calm him down. He finally sheaths his blade and hides it again under his backpack, moving to get out of the area.

"We need to get out of the city." Thomas stated quickly pulling out his set of sunglasses to cover his eyes that he knew had changed to his true eyes. "I can't stay in the area with … with that thing toying with me."

"And what about Team Plasma." Sarah asked. "Should I stay behind to keep an eye on them."

Thomas looked down to Radara who nodded to him. _'I will stay with Sarah and keep an eye on them as well as protect her. Rebecca has proven that she can handle you, and it would be best if you found a place to calm down. I recall Dwelthor mentioning a sanctuary in the area. I know that you do know like to intrude upon them, but it may be best if you hide out in for a while.'_

Sarah looked down to Radara at the mention of a sanctuary. "What are you talking about now?" Sarah asked a bit intrigued.

"There are places all over the world, gifts of Arceus to the watchers and the legendaries, private retreats of sort." Thomas explained. "I… I have not been to one in several lifetimes. I… do not feel so much at home there as I use to. Not after realizing how much I have changed." Thomas stated and Sarah understood exactly what he meant, once again recalling the story Thomas had told her when she had asked if he had ever killed anyone.

'_Thomas, come on, we should go. We need a place to help calm you down.' _Rebecca said as she took his arm as soon as they were out of town, quickly trying to sooth his aura with her own.

'_Thomas, I will not have you getting out of this this time, you will go to the sanctuary. You have ignored them for so long, its time you returned to them. I would love to go myself, but we do need to see why these fools have such a weapon and what they plan to do with it. Seeing that we are not alone here, I have this feeling that this Team Plamsa may not be fully away of what they are messing with. I believe that they may not even realize what they are actually doing. I will return with Sarah to Opelucid and look for additional clues.'_ Radara then looked up to Sarah. _'I would highy recommend that you call out your now meinshoo, it will give the trainers someone else to think about battling, and hopefully persuade some of the guys to quit flirting with you as well.' _

Sarah quickly started blushing. "Wait… what? … I don't…. I mean what are you getting at you pink princess puffball." Sarah countered rather awkwardly at first, but seceeding in getting to Radara.

Thomas quickly stepped in to break up the fight before it started. He is thankful that they have learned to get along so well over the long year, even if they did get into their own arguments from time to time. Still, he couldn't help but think that it would be nicer if Rebecca would be a little nicer to her as well. She had nearly outright attacked Sarah a few months back, when she fell into a lake, only to get laughed at harder when she got out of the water and her fur puffed out. It took several promises to keep her from getting back at Sarah after that.

Thomas shook his head to get himself back on track, with Rebecca doing her best to calm him with her aura, his mind did wander a bit as he tried to focus. "Look, just find out what you can and I'll go to the sanctuary. Just promise me that you will not kill each other." Sarah and Radara both look at eash other and back to him before nodding.

He turned again to continue on his way, Rebecca on his arm. He starts to head along the route up to the Unova Pokemon League, but takes a detour to the northeast. Rebecca had recalled Thomas and Radara talking about sanctuaries once before, and asked Radara about them.

Radara had told her a good deal about them, and she quickly started to try and use her aura vision to try and find the sanctuary. She could see a few tunnels below them as they started to climb a bit, as well as various pokemon around them. She knew that place in question was hidden, and since they were started to walk up a mountain, she began to try and look for a cave or something.

Thomas seemed to be doing the same, at the very least, he was looking for something along the side of the mountain. She tried her best though, but she couldn't find any trace of anything even remotely similar to what she thought she was looking for.

Just as she was about to give up and ask Thomas if there really was anything around, he smiled and moved over to a large rock face hidden by a bunch of vines and a few trees.

He placed a hand on the wall and closed his eyes, obviously using his powers. A second later, he started to push the wall aside a bit. "Come on, its okay." He said. "The legendaries built these places, both for their own use, but mostly for us."

He started to walk down a stone passage as the wall started to close up behind them. Rebecca looked to him a bit scared, even more so when his aura started to show again, still very dark. She took his arm again, scared that his taint was acting up.

As they walked in though, the the doro behind them began to close and the room grew very dark. "Don't worry." Thomas said pulling her closer. Just as it had gone pitch black, a new light began to shine, starting at the very top of the cave, before it began to grow. The roof of the cave was nothing more then one large crystal, that let light in at some odd angles at first, but as more light began to shine in, more crystals began to reflect the light until after a minute, the entire cavern was filled with a mix of red, purple, and blue.

"When Arceus first gave birth to the first of my kind, she knew that she would give birth to many of us in the end. The legendary pokemon had gathered, deciding that we would need our own place from time to time. Places were we could be at peace with ourselves." Thomas said as his aura began to calm down as he looked around the room, already feeling a bit more at ease. The cavern was very large and there was a large clear pool of water in the middle of the room, reflecting the light further off the crystals in the walls. Underneath the crystals on the walls were rows of berry bushes and flowers, all slowly opening up in the growing light.

"These places are use to be home to my kind." Thomas took off his back and set it on a large flat rock next to the pond to keep his things dry as he began to take off his shirt, planning to take a dip in the water. "Its been so long since I've been here, but it still feels so welcoming." His voice was soft, but Rebecca could still hear the darker part of it still just hanging in as Thomas was given a chance to relax, easily now that the liepard wasn't urging him on and that he now felt at home in a sense.

"Rebecca, if your hungery, you can have some berries." Thoms pointed to the wall. She looks at them a bit confused, doubtful that they would taste nice since upon closer inspection, it looks like they were growing right out of the rock wall. Still, she takes one, finding a few mago berries. Much to her surprise, despite wondering how they could tste nice growing like they were, the mago berry was very sweet, just the way she liked as she tries one more.

Thomas gives a gentle laugh as he sees her expression as he finishes undress and then slipping into the water. "I told you, this place provides well for my kind. Suicune filled the springs with pur water, Landorus helped fertilize that soil, and shaymin filled with them her own touches." He pats the waters surface lightly inviting her to his side.

She turns, slightly confused that he just walked into the water as he did, he was always a bit picky about it at times. She moves to join him, lightly dipping her toes in to test the water, smiling to find that was it a was nice and warm, relaxing, even if it wasn't a hot spring.

"These places, homes to the watchers, our retreats. They were meant to be comfortable for us. Most are like this, but there are others, some made for specific types of my kind." He said as she out of her shorts and shirt to join him in the water sitting right next to him. She once again tries to grasp his hand with her paw, but its still an awkward event, her paw so much different from his hand, but he still helps her out, taking it anyway. It still agitated her, she wanted to hold just his hand at times, that was why still clung to his arm. She wanted nothing more then to be more openly affectionate with thim, to hang onto him wherever they might go, show her feelings and urges instead of having to hide it so often. She knew why she couldn't though, why they had to keep it a secret from everyone, knowing how so many people felt about a pokemon and a human sharing such a bond.

What was wrong with them loving each other, she wondered. If anything, she was smarter then a number of 'morons' as Juno had called them lately. If anything, these morons should have been the ones not allowed out of their dwellings. She looked down, seeing her reflection and the sadness in her eyes, only to notice Thomas looking down to see the same thing. She always tried to hide these emotions from him, turning away a bit, but thomas just held her closer.

"Rebecca… I'm sorry for everything." He slowly turned to her face him. She was about to say something, but Thomas just placed a hand on her muzzle. "Please, just listen. When I took you as my mate, Radara told me that I would be hurting you more then I would know. She is happy for us none the less, but relationships with watchers have never been easy, and it only got worse as time went on. I know I haven't been the best mate I could, but I want you to know that I do treasure you more then anything. I… I'm just bad with my feelings over the years, I put them away for so long, its still second nature to me. I just want you to-"

Now Rebecca stops him before he can finish, her eyes no longer showing the same sadness as before. _'Silly, I love you for all of you, not just some of you, all of the good and bad. If I really cared just about some parts of you, I would never have wanted to be with you. Thomas, you are my mate, not because of what you are, but because of who you are. You mean everything to me and I don't want you to change.'_ She leans in closing her eyes, Thomas doing to the same, not noticing the light of the doro to the sanctuary opening behind them.

"Thomas, we found something… and maybe we should come later." Sarah starts to yell out, only to go a bit red from walking in on them as they were.

xXx

Thomas quickly stepped in to break up the fight before it started. He is thankful that they have learned to get along so well over the long year, even if they did get into their own arguments from time to time. Still, he couldn't help but think that it would be nicer if Rebecca would be a little nicer to her as well. She had nearly outright attacked Sarah a few months back, when she fell into a lake, only to get laughed at harder when she got out of the water and her fur puffed out. It took several promises to keep her from getting back at Sarah after that.

Thomas shook his head to get himself back on track, with Rebecca doing her best to calm him with her aura, his mind did wander a bit as he tried to focus. "Look, just find out what you can and I'll go to the sanctuary. Just promise me that you will not kill each other." Sarah and Radara both look at eash other and back to him before nodding.

Sarah and Radara looked to each other one more time, letting Thomas and Rebecca walk off while they needed to head back to the city. Sarah did call out her meinshoo as Radara had asked. The meinshoo seemed to enjoy being with them lately, not minding that it had a new trainer, actually seeming to enjoy the chance to travel with a group, even if he didn't talk much, mostly just nodding when called upon.

They decided to stick close to Team Plasma like before, but they were on extra alert now that they knew the liepard, and possibly the rest of her partners were around. They hung back a bit further then before, taking cover on a library balcony. They mostly ignored the two grunts on the stage at the current time, instead paying attention to any of the plasma grunts that were back stage. Already convinced that the grunts doing all the shouting and protesting knew nothing about what was going on, they hoped that maybe one of the various grunts back stage or those who seemed to come and go from time to time might know something.

As the day went on, things seemed to stay pretty calm, Sarah doing some reading while they were at the library while her meinshoo practiced some very simple martial arts, taking it slow making sure not to hit or disturb anything. Radara was of course busy reading the minds of the plasma grunts, while Sarah made sure to look around from time to time and point out any addition grunts that seemed to move around a lot.

An hour passed, and they didn't learn anything, until Sarah noticed a rather unusual grunt behind the stage, checking around, thinking that he was going unnoticed. "Radara, what about the grunt back there." Sarah said, sitting up and pointing him out quietly.

Radara's gaze quickly caught up with him and she smiled. _'This is rather interesting.'_ She said as she focused entirely on him. _'He is waiting for the liepard to show up and give him something, but I think she is taking her threat from earlier more seriously.'_

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked as her meinshoo kept up his own thing, but not insisted on doing it blindfolded with a piece of cloth he had found and on the back of a chair.

'_That grunt is very nervous, hoping that he isn't seen, namely by the other grunts. I don't think he is part of Team Plasma, but merely trying to blame them for something.'_ Radara stated as she looked around a bit, searching for anything strange. _'He's very worried, he is supposed to pick something up, but he doesn't know what, only that he is supposed to make a scene once he gets it.'_

Sarah looked around some more, finding several more rangers and police around the stand, as if waiting for something as well. "Radara…"

Radara quickly turned her gaze as well. _'This is most unusual, they were tipped off about something.'_ Radara tilted her head as the man behind the stage growled and tossed something into the crowd. He shouted something that neither of them could. Radara quickly teleported the device away from the people, only to watch it flash in the are, but not as a bright light. Instead a small blast of darkness escaped from the device in the air above them. _'I think he is trying to pin everything on Team Plasma.'_

The police and rangers all moved in, quickly rounding the entire group of plasma grunts up, except for the one man who ran off and got lost in the crowd. It didn't do much good though as Radara's eyes flashed once more, the man falling over as he tripped over his own feet only to get jumped on by a pair of rangers. "What was that?" Sarah looked up as the flash in the air slowly faded away. "Was that the device that made all those pokemon go mad, the ranger said that it did blow up right, maybe that's what he meant."

'_I believe you are right, but I am going to take permanent care of it this time.'_ Radara stated. _'As soon as it is done, I will teleport it into separate places all at once, but I want to make sure its done so I don't activate it by mistake.'_ She explained.

There was a small crash behind them and both of them jumped, her meinshoo had fallen off the chair and was looking up at them while it was upside down and removing the napkin it turned into a blindfold. Sarah sighed a bit as she looked up.

'_I believe we can go now, the so called plasma grunt knows nothing else about today, he is just very confused why he was lied to about the device and left to be captured.'_ Radara said as she turned around to notice Sarah with a shocked look on her face. _'Is something wrong?'_

Sarah continued to stare at the screen for a few as Radara looked over to the newscast. As usual for a library, the newscast was muted, but the subtitles said it all for Radara. Sarah's parents were getting a divorce, and seeing how it was broadcasting on worldwide news, it was not in anyway quiet as Sarah turned away.

'_I am sorry for you to find out this way, but we cannot go back for now. The knights may still be watching them and monitoring them hoping that you will call.'_ Radara said. _'It may be best for us to head to the sanctuary at this time.'_

Sarah nodded lightly as she packed up her things as her meinshoo seemed to pick up on what was happening, trying to comfort her as well.

xXx

Radara teleported all three of them right outside the sanctuary and before Sarah could ask where they were, Radara used her mind to gently take Sarah's hand and place it on the wall. She then used a bit of power on Sarah to allow her to open the door and Sarah rushed in.

"Thomas, we found something… and maybe we should come back later." Sarah started to yell out, only to go a bit red from walking in on them as they were.

Thomas and Rebecca went a bit red as well, but not as much as Sarah. He quickly moved a large towel in front of them so that they could dry off and dress in peace. "Relax, relax, we were just sitting with each other, enjoying the water." Thomas said as he put on his clothing.

"Now, what is so important." He asked. "Did you find the device?"

'_I do not believe that Team Plasma is behind the device, they are merely trying to shift blame to them at this time.'_ Radara explained as Sarah moved over to corner of the room. _'However, I am also led to believe that our evil friend is behind their creation, so I hardly think that is the last of them in this region. We must search hard to find the rest here and quickly. If even one of them are turned on in a city, it could spell disaster.' _

Thomas nodded before looking over to Sarah. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

'_Sarah has just found out her parents are getting a divorce, and it is in no way a quiet one. We found this out by a short newscast while we were at the library watching over the plasma stand.'_ Radara said.

Thomas looked at her, but remained quiet for now, he was unsure how to handle it, but still knew that Sarah would need to come to terms with the idea first herself.


	20. Chapter 20

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 20

Xent was wandering around Opelucid City, calling in some old favors around the area to try and learn more about this device that he had seen in use right before he confronted Thomas about what he was. He growled a bit once more thinking about how easily he had been fooled like he was as he tries to follow up on one of his leads.

As he was wandering around though, he looked up just in time for to see someone waving him down from the top of the flower shop. He quickly went to join the person calling out for him, but still took a chance to check out the plants. He worked his way up to the top of the flower shop, nodding to the owner as they watered the plants on the roof.

"Well, what's so important, Verna? I thought I asked you to keep watch over James." Xent asked as he took a seat on a bench, next to a shiny gardevoir, who just pointed over to a small child in the corner of the roof top garden. Xent just sighed a bit, but still smiled at the kid who was busy inspecting a deerling.

"Is that it?" He asked just in time for the gardevoir to hand him a letter. Xent quickly opened it up and looked the note inside it. "Great, as if things weren't bad enough." He sighed again. He quickly turned to see who was behind him though just as he finished reading. "Oh, hello." He said and nodded his head to the lady behind him.

"Thanks again for letting me borrow Verna. James does seem to enjoy having her baby-sit when you're in town." The lady smiled as she handed him the great ball that was paired with Verna.

"You know you can always count on me when I'm around." Xent stated as the lady went to get her son. As soon as they were gone though, Xent looked back to Verna. "Okay, what else is there?" He asked knowing that she was holding something back.

Verna smiled as she sent him a very clear image of someone and he just smirked. "Where?" He asked and Verna stood up and walked over to the railing. She pointed down to the streets to where the person was.

-x-

Down in the streets, Thomas and Radara were busy trying to find any clues they might have missed about other possible devices. They failed to notice that they were being followed since they were so busy looking for clues. It was already late in the day though and Thomas decided that they were going to call it night for now.

After grabbing a few last minute items, they started back for the sanctuary. Xent made sure to hang back a ways, not wanting to lose them again, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure they were alone.

Once they were out of town, Xent called out Zai again and used her nose like last time. Zai knew soon enough who she was supposed to track down and gave him a questioning, slightly worried look. "I don't know who they are, but they aren't normal. Some of our friends also say that they have been looking into this… this thing that made all those pokemon go mad. Either way, they are involved and I want some answers." Xent stated. Zai knew all too well just how stubborn he was and knew that he wouldn't drop despite her own objections. Still, she also knew that it would be best to get this out of the way now and hope for the best outcome.

An hour passed before Zai led them to the large rock face, before their trail suddenly vanished. Their scent, their footsteps, all signs of them just vanished entirely.

Zai quickly turned to her trainer and gave him a very confused look, pointing out the tracks to him, and right to where they vanished, them leaned down a bit to show that she tried to find their scent, only to shake her head and give a thumbs down.

"What do you mean it vanished? How do people just vanish into thin air? They can't all be ghost types." Xent argued.

He looked over the tracks himself, literally running his hands gently over each one several steps back noticing a small wet spot in each of them from where one of them had stepped in some water. He then started to search the ground to find anything that might have covered them where they seemed to just vanish, hoping that wet spot would reveal them. "You're sure there is nothing here?" He grumbled a bit.

Zai nodded and ran down the path a bit to where the tracks still were and once again tried to follow them.

"Maybe its some sort of illusion?" Xent asked. Zai looked around, trying to find any signs that what was around them might not be real, but there were no signs at all, everything was very real. To test this, she even began to check the face of the cliffside in both directions for a short ways, as well as even testing the trees while Xent did the same.

Being as stubborn as he was though, Xent downright refused to give up. He continued to look things over for a while before he growled, taking a seat next to the wall next to Zai. He called out Verna who smiled as she looked around, waiting for her master to ask for her assistance. "Verna, do you sense anyone else around here?" He asked.

Verna looked around, at first sensing nothing, then turning and pointing down the path. A few seconds later though, she quickly backed up to him, a small angry scowl on her face as a few people approached.

Xent looked back at the three men approaching. "You get out of here, you don't need to be here." One of them stated as they pulled out a map, a brief glance of a gun just barely visible from inside their coats.

"I'll go where I like." Xent stated as both Verna and Zai ready to act if needed. Zai making it look like the three of them had moved just enough so that they were where they appeared.

"I said get out of here, your trespassing on private property." The man said again. Xent had already grabbed his crowbars out as he prepared for a fight, looking to Verna who shook her head, telling him the men were lying.

Before either of them could move though, the rock wall behind them began to move and shift, revealing a tunnel.

"Look, we need to find someone who knows about this device, if one of those things are set off in a city, there is no telling how bad the damage will be." Thomas stated as he was talking with Sarah, none of them noticing Xent, his pokemon, or the three men in large coats.

"The demon, get him." One of the men shouted as everyone suddenly looked on to the crowd outside the sanctuary. The men both drew out a set of large knifes going for Thomas, but he merely charged in, already telling that they weren't truly trained.

Thomas grumbled as he ducked down under the first one's strike, grabbing his arm, swinging himself around to elbow him in the face, only to grab his shoulder. With a firm grip on both his arm and shoulder, he yanked the man back and spun him around to get the two men to collide into each other. With both of them already stumbling, Thomas finished up by pounding their heads into each other while giving them a heavy dose of electricity knocking them both out.

While he was dealing with the two men though, the third one went after Xent, or the illusion of Xent, only to have his knife slice clean through the fake. Zai let down her illusion as Xent moved in with both crowbars, the man able to dodge one, but took the hit of the other in his left arm. He dropped his knife, but went after his gun, only for his to freeze up. Verna's eyes were glowing as the man was slowly lifted up into the air.

"You have thirty seconds to tell me why you are following me or so help me, I'll erase the past year of your life." Thomas warned, hoping he could just bluff Xent.

"You touch me and you won't get one word about what I know concerning that thing both of us are looking for." Xent countered. "Yea, I know you're looking that thing that made those pokemon go wild to and I also know you don't have a single lead on it." He grinned.

Thomas grumbled as he looked at Xent.

'_He is telling the truth, and we will need him there if we want to follow this lead. One of his contacts left him a note.'_ Radara sighed, Xent, Zai, and Verna all looking around.

"Who… who was that?" Xent asked as Radara took a step forward while Thomas walked over to the man Verna was still holding up into the air. Thomas placed his hand on his side and gave him the usual jolt to knock him out as Radara went to work.

"I would image days would be enough for them to forget us ever being here. I doubt we'll stay hidden long with that blasted liepard giving our position away." Thomas grumbled as Radara did as he suggested, wiping the events of men who found them.

"Thomas, how did you drop them so fast?" Sarah asked finally coming out of her bit of shock from seeing how easily Thomas took down the men.

"They were rookies, if they real knights they wouldn't have charged so recklessly." Thomas explained.

"Knights? What are talking about?" Xent asked.

"The less you know about me the better. I'm not having any more innocent blood hang over me just because you can't learn when to back off." Thomas stated. "Now, start walking. The sooner we reach this contact of yours, the better."

"Not until I get some answers. If you want my help, you'd better tell me just what the hell you are." Xent stated.

"I don't have time for your stupid questions." Thomas countered, his voice raising just a bit.

'_Thomas, calm down.'_ Radara reminded him feeling his taint starting up.

"I know, I know…" Thomas sighed, taking a few deep breathes. "Look, I don't have time to explain anything to you. Like I said, the less you know the better. Yes, I am the guy from the video you showed me and yes, I'm not exactly normal, but those guys who attacked me that day will stop at nothing to kill me. They have money, they have manpower, and more importantly, they don't seem to care what is in their way anymore. They will hunt you down, make you talk, and then if you're very lucky, they will let you and your pokemon go. If they even begin to think that you know something else, they will move on to your family, your friends, and anyone else they even think you might talk to." Thomas warned him again, but kept himself calm. "Right now, there are bigger things to worry about. Yesterday, one of the men the police arrested tried to set off one of those things in the middle of Opelucid City. If by some means there are more of them, and I for one believe there are, then it means trouble. If we have a way to find out and stop them from being used, then it will save thousands lives and you can the hero for all I care."

"It's not about being a hero, it's about doing what is right. You may rum from those fools, but you can't run from you know is right. Otherwise you wouldn't be so concerned about stopping this next attack. Yet, I do wonder, what you seem to do best seems to be hiding, so maybe you are a coward. I don't see why you have such a loyal pokemon or even why she follows you." Xent jabbed a finger over towards Sarah who was just about to speak up.

Thomas reacted first however. In a single solid blow, Thomas had pinned Xent back against the tree he was right next to. Xent could hardly believe how fast it had happened, much less how much power was put into the single blow. He had had his breath knocked out him, and he could feel the power flowing from Thomas's grip on him, strong, but not enough to knock him out.

He was trying to catch his breath even as Thomas held him against the tree, where he finally had a clear look into Thomas's eyes. From what Xent could tell from before, Thomas always seemed a bit detached from when they battled a few days ago, and even just now when he took down the three men. Looking now though, he could easily see something in Thomas's eyes, years that shouldn't be there for someone who looked his age. He has seen eyes like that a few times, but always from much older people, yet to see Thomas's eyes glare at him with sorrow, he knew he had hit a major nerve.

Zai goes to defend her master as Rebecca moves to intercept. For a brief second, both look ready to fight as Zai seems to flicker a bit, fading from sight. Rebecca goes to counter the illusion, her dreadlocks quickly raising up on the back of her head as she started to use her aura to find Zai.

Radara is a bit undecided as to who she should help, splitting her attention between Thomas and Rebecca, unable to decide who needs her help more. Sarah goes her pokeballs though, thinking that her help may be needed as well. Xent makes the next more though, motioning for Zai to back off as he still tries to break free of Thomas's grip.

"You know NOTHING!" Thomas shouts at Xent, pushing him back a bit harder into the tree. "You fucking little fool, I am trying to save EVERYONE! Why is it so hard for everyone to understand that, I am only doing what I need to save all of you."

Xent looks right back at him with a somewhat blank stare at first, but it quickly changes to a definitive look in his eyes. "Then why are you so afraid of the question then. What are you scared of?!" Xent shouts right back at him as best he can. "You seem powerful to do whatever you want. I can't stop you, I can tell that. Strike me down and run the like COWARD you are."

"I'm not afraid of anything." Thomas quickly states, only to back down a bit as he realizes what he is doing. He shakes a just a bit as he realizes deep down that it's not the taint to blame for his actions, it was himself. His own doubts have taken a serious hold, feeding the taint inside him as he acted on them. He can hear it laughing in his head, mocking him knowing that it doesn't even need to do anything, Thomas was doing everything for it.

Thomas drops Xent as he turns away. "I am no hero, I…." He says at last turning away.

Xent looks on at him and how quickly he changed, actually feeling bad for what he did in a small way. "I'm not asking you to be a hero, I'm asking you to stand up for something. You may not want to be that person to lead, but you must that person to inspire. That video of you has lots of people questioning things, yet if you keep running and hiding, then what are people suppose to think. To be honest, I don't care what other think, but how are you suppose to help anyone if you just run and hide. People will start to think that those fools are telling the truth, that you are some sort of demon and then what. I don't care what you are, but you obviously know something about that device and we can work together to make sure it doesn't go off."

Thomas sighs as he just nods and picks up his stuff waiting for Xent to show him the way. Before he can respond though, he gets a rather large surprise as a voice very clearly enters his head.

'_I am sorry dear, but I don't like waiting for vocal answers, it takes to long sometimes. A link like this makes it easier to convey things. By the way, my name is Radara.'_ Radara slowly steps forward as Xent and his pokemon look on.

Xent quickly looks to Verna, surprised that she had never spoken to him even though she was a psychic type as well. One look at Verna though clearly shows that she is just as surprised as he is. _'Don't worry dear, you can do this one day as well. You just need to practice is all.'_ Radara explains.

"Just how strong is she?" Xent whispers to Sarah as Radara starts to lead the way, having found out where they need to go already, Thomas quickly moving to join her as he gets his bag and starts walking to move beside her.

"Strong enough and for the love of Arceus, please stop doing that with those images. I am not in … just stop it already." Sarah states rather annoyed as she goes to join the others who have already started walking. Rebecca just giggles lightly at the discomfort on Sarah's face knowing exactly what was going on, but keeps it to herself.

Xent quickly moves to catch up as the rest of the group quickly moving to catch up to Thomas and Radara as they lead the way.

"So aside from traveling with hooligans, what do you aspire to be Xent? A world class trainer, a pokemon show stopper?" Sarah asks after a few, starting up her own conversation to try and block all the thoughts she keeps getting from Radara.

Now it was Xent's turn for a bit of discomfort as Zia and Verna talk with each other, giggling themselves at his reactions. "I don't aspire to be anything." He grumbles lightly, a bit tired of always hearing that same question. "I just want to travel, without anything to tie me down, the wind on my back and no set course, I just go where ever the world lets me go." He explains. "And what about you? Do you have some sort of set course, or do you just blindly follow him around?" He jabs a finger at Thomas who is leading with Radara and Rebecca now, Rebecca holding onto him a bit to help him relax some. "Do you even care what he is, he seems so secretive about everything."

Sarah just gives him a small smile at his words. "Knowing the truth about him makes things look small in comparison. Trust me Xent and listen to Thomas. When this is over and we destroy this machine permanently, leave. Don't ask the questions you want to ask him, because he might just tell you the truth and then you'll wish you never knew. Ignorance is bliss, knowing the truth will just make you wish you were back to being blind to the world at times." Sarah says, having wished for that exact thing at times, still not use to certain things herself, even after a year of traveling like she had. She picks up the pace a bit though and her mienfoo quickly following behind her and giving Xent a slightly dirty look.

Sarah's words left Xent very confused, wondering what she meant. Many thoughts float around his head as he tries to figure out what all Sarah could possibly mean by 'ignorance is bliss'. He starts to wonder if maybe she was crazy as he looks at them all now, finally noticing how attached Thomas's lucario was to his arm. More thoughts continue to enter his head, as well as some words.

'_Now now child, calm yourself. We still have some time to get there, just breath and put those thoughts out of your head, you might run into something-'_

Before Radara could finish her warning though, Xent's foot snags on a tree root and he quickly ends up face first in the dirt with Verna and Zia laughing at him.

'_Or trip…'_ Radara says a bit amused herself as she turns to let the others know to hold on for a second as Xent's pokemon help him up.

xXx

In a small empty park area not far from Opelucid City, a few men being to move a large device as a liepard watches them from the darkness of a pavilion, the shadows thick around her, obvious not entirely natural, her eyes though still showing exactly where she was. A few new men show up quickly enough though, different from all the others in work clothing.

"You said that the demon would be easy to kill. I sent three of my men in to keep him busy only to have them call back unable to even remember why they were in the woods at all." The lead man of the three men shout out as he nears the pavilion. The liepard doesn't even bother looking at him, which only serves to anger the man as he draws his colt, already cocked and ready to fire.

'Please, I don't need to know you have a small cock since you need to brandish your larger weapon.' The liepard states hardly even paying attention to the three new men.

The two men with the third guy laugh a bit as their comrade's face goes a bit red. The other workers in the area quickly start to speed up, knowing full well that something is about to happen. The man quickly responds to the liepard's insult with his own actions, quickly firing at the dark shadowy form hidden in the pavilion. "Well, that's one way to get your gun off." One of the men joke a bit as the shadowy form falls over bleeding, but quickly losing its dark cloak revealing that the man had shot a different pokemon all together, the sawk gasping out for its last few breaths before it finally dies. The men all around for the liepard as one of the workers makes a very scared comment. "Now you've done it." All at once, the workers double their speed again hoping not to get caught up in the upcoming event.

The three men continue to look around, only to have something jump out from the ground at the man who had fired the colt. He clearly feels a body jump onto his back right before the liepard's mouth goes for his neck, not even bothering to be subtle, just tearing a huge chunk right out of the body. The man falls just as fast as the sawk did, but the liepard only continues to tear into him for a few before she gets bored and turns.

'_Let me get this through your thick skulls. I didn't call you here to give me grief, just to give the watcher trouble. I don't care about your so-called cause or anything. You are in MY LAND, MY TERRIROTY!' _She snaps at the other two. _'You are here at my whim. As you can see, I can kill you all at anytime. You are my tools and can be replaced at any time I so please. You fucking knights and your foolish religion. Before you finish that thought knight, I want you to know this, I know what you all represent, or rather what you all think you believe in. You have no chance of winning here. So think twice before you go for your weapons. The Watcher may let you get away with being assholes, but hold no qualms about what I will do. You're lucky I even let you remain in this land after what did you to her.' _She growls loudly as the workers take a few extra steps back wanting to avoid her, knowing that she has killed others for much less.

The two remaining knights look on at her, clearly having second thoughts. "We knights are on a sacred mission to rid the lands of the dark demon. I don't care how powerful you think you are, but we warn you that you are only tolerated because you agreed to help us. Once the demon is dealt with, you will be put in your place like the rabid animal you are."

A mocking laughter rings out after the knight is done talking. _'You truly are delusional you know that fool?'_ She waves her forepaw in front of the knights as her eyes glow and the knights seem to stiffen up a bit. _'You poor fools, you're my tools and you will do as I ask. Now go out there and cause some trouble for the watcher. I have work that needs done and he will be soon. Go and greet him and kill all with him. Except his pokemon and the lucario… I want you to hurt her, but not kill her. That honor belongs to me.'_

She smiles as they nod and take off without another word as a worker comes over and kneels before her. "Mistress, we have loaded the device onto the truck and we are ready now. Where do you wish for us to deploy it." He asks, keeping his head down hoping that she won't kill him.

A few seconds pass and in the silence, the worker only grows more worried until at last, he feels her licking his face gently. Still, he flinches a bit, not sure at all what to do. _'I won't bite much, unless you want me to. Tell them to go to town, there is an event happening tomorrow. Many trainers, breeders, and their pokemon will be there and well, it will be fun. You will … help me with something. I will not take no for an answer, understand?_' She informs him, only talking to him this time.

He looks at her, scared to death knowing what telling her no would mean. And from how mad she was just a few, he knew that just as she would kill him, she would take her time and quickly nods at her command. "I will do as you say. I will make you as happy as I can." He swallows hard as he turns to tell the others what to do as she is rubbing lightly against his leg, purring some.

'_Don't worry, as long as you last longer then that last fool, you will live. Trust me, you will love it.'_ Her voice sends chills down his spine as he nods again.

xXx

Thomas has out his miniature set of binoculars trying to figure out what they have stumbled upon. "I thought you said you were meeting a contact here." He says quietly as he observes the workers all loading up the last of their things onto a large truck.

"I was, they should have been here." Xent growled, tapping his foot as he nods to Verna, who shrugs, just as worried as he is.

"What do they look like?" Thomas sighs as he finally sees a body, quickly looking around, he notices a few others. "She's been busy." Thomas hands him the binoculars and points out the four bodies, Xent growling, but thankfully none of them were the person he was supposed to meet with.

"Hey, that one with the large coat has a knife like those other guys?" Xent stated passing the binoculars back to Thomas who quickly went to look at it.

"What are the knights doing here?" Thomas questioned, but quickly passed on it for a better question. "So, how do we get into that mess?"

He closes his eyes for a few before Radara interrupts him. _'Thomas, he is thinking about Sarah, his zoroark, and what the hell you are all at once, even thinking over various ideas of how to enter the park. If only I could get you to multitask so well, we'd be able to get so much more done.'_

Thomas growls as he turns to look at her, wondering of Radara was so ready to let Xent join them just to annoy him. He looks up again towards the device on the back of the largest truck and finally sees a pair of men like the dead one with the trench coat, this time easily identifying them as knights. He sighs a bit wondering just how much trouble they are going to cause him today. Still, despite them being there, he has to get to that device. Just looking at it, he could already tell that between its size and the dark power it held, it would be too much for Radara to simply teleport out of there.

With no other choice, Thomas decides that they will have to attack the compound as he gets out his blade, Sarah starts pulling out parts for a collapsible compound bow Thomas had convinced her to pick up shortly after they arrived in Unova.

Thomas quickly went to make the point that he and Radara would head the attack, serving to distract everyone else while the rest of them went for device. Xent quickly argued the point, saying that he was a much better choice rather then the pink puff ball to distract the guards, only to have Radara prove her point by easily lifting him into the air for a few as she glared at him. Sarah quickly explains a few things to Xent for both Thomas and Radara's sake to which Xent finally agrees to let them be the distraction. It was also decided that Juno would look for his friend, Radara doing a good job of sharing the image of Xent's contact with her and the note that she always smelled of gingersnaps, which annoyed Xent from time to time.

-x-

At last, they are ready as Sarah and Xent get into position with their chosen pokemon. It was decided that they would only use a few pokemon each to help keep things under some level of control while they attacked, not hoping to kill everyone, their target was strictly the device after all.

A new voice enters Xent's head just before he pulls out his crowbar. _'Xent, can you hear my… thoughts?' _A voice asks as Xent quickly looks around, seeing Verna concentrating hard.

"Verna, how did you, you never did this before?" He questions.

'_The espeon, she told me that I could do this too, if I try hard enough and practice a lot.' _ Verna says slowly, her voice a bit fuzzy, but still clear enough to speak. _'She said that if I keep practicing, I can do just as easily as I can float around.' _She explained.

"Look, only use this if we need information fast. Otherwise, just send me images like you normally do, you're pretty good at getting your point across with that method." Xent says as Zai starts to grumble a bit.

(Yeah yeah, now you can chat with Xent. Big deal!) Zai turns away from the group a bit as she stretches her muscles waiting for the fight.

Verna quickly moves over to Zai at her words. (Zai, it took more then I thought to do that. I won't be able to do that much for a long time at all. For that espeon to do that so easily and have three separate conversations going at once shows how powerful she is.) Verna explains panting just bit as she recovers from talking with just her mind. Zai growls a bit at those words none the less though, quickly clenching her fists. (Don't even think about challenging her Zai. Even with your type advantage, she is much stronger then you, you would lose.) Verna said rather worried knowing that Zai had a partial temper, nothing like Xent's, but still it was enough for Verna to be worried.

Zai's claws suddenly grew a bit longer with the power of a dark claw attack and she quickly charged in before Thomas was ready. Sarah gave Thomas just as much a worried look as Thomas was annoyed, but he still charged in after the zoroark. Everyone else charged in as well.

Upon seeing Thomas though, both of the remaining knights quickly charged after him leaving the rest of the workers and their pokemon to deal with Sarah and the others.

Thomas was quickly to move in, firing a blast of electricity at the first knight to distract him as he parried the second's blade. While he was at it, he was able to grab the belt off one of the knights and throw it into the woods before the knight could respond and call out his pokemon. Radara quickly deals with as many of the other pokeballs as she can as well, to great success, only a small number of the workers have time to call out there pokemon.

Thomas once again blasts another wave of electricity at one knight while trying to make a grab for the others head band so that Radara can knock him out with ease, since these knights are much better then the three previous ones he had dealt with at the sanctuary.

Still, that hardly slows him down, even if he can't land many hits, ducking under the one's sword, using the broadside of his blade to catch the other one in the side. He's quick to jump back, blasting them both with a good wave of power, but not enough to knock them out as he quickly dashes right back in.

-x-

Sarah and Xent were both quickly going for the device that was their objective no one was sure what direct effect it would have on their pokemon as they tried to destroy it. Sarah was a decent shot when she took her time, but trying to hit a truck's wheel as it was turning was another story. Thankfully she did get one lucky shot rather quickly, hitting the driver side window and catching the driver. It didn't do much to him, but still slowed the truck down long enough to Xent to run up and try to get inside with his crowbars.

Zai and Verna made sure to keep any pokemon around him busy as he rushed in, Zai even lucky enough to tear part of the back gate off the truck. A small group of pokemon rushed them, before Zai could do much more, an amoonguss trying to hit her with a spore attack to put her to sleep, but she jumped back to avoid it only to get hit by a jolteon, but Verna quickly helped pull it off, forced to throw it into the woods for now.

Xent saw the attack, distracted for a just long enough for a worker to push him off the truck as it started to take off. Sarah's mienfoo was quick to try and jump onto it, but didn't do much as it couldn't stay on the truck. Zai once again made another attempt to get in, slashing one of the tires before she was once again tackled by the jolteon.

Xent and Sarah both quickly closed in again thinking that they had a chance to get to the device, but all the workers quickly left the fight as a second truck pulled up and the lot of them went to work moving it from one truck to the other. In turn, most of their pokemon quickly went onto the defensive as well, trying not to let any of them got close

-x-

Radara and Rebecca were having their own trouble with the knight's pokemon, the dragonite giving Radara a real run for her money, but she wasn't trying to kill it, merely knock it out for now, so she wasn't using her full power. Of course, Rebecca had her own problems as well, an emboar was keeping her on her toes as she tried to knock it out. To make matters worse, an unfezant constantly swapped out attacking the two of them, going after whichever one was more distracted at the moment.

Rebecca had just blocked a blow from the emboar, grabbing its arm to try and throw it into a large steel beam that held up the pavilion when the unfezant made its move, striking her hard in the back with a wing attack, only to back up and blast her with a whirlwind sending her flying. The emboar caught her leg though as she was thrown, only to return the favor of trying to pound her into the pavilion, instead smashing her over one of the picnic tables.

Thomas heard her scream and finally got a good blow on one of the knights, giving him a nasty gash in his arm, then grabbing his face and knocking him out at last with a full blast of electricity, throwing him into the other knight. He dashed towards Rebecca, the unfezant going after Radara, but she was ready this time as she used the unfezant's own wild attack against it. She teleported out of the way at the last second, only to let it hit the tree she was next to. With the unfezant rather dizzy as it tried to get up, Radara got another hit on the dragonite, causing it to fall back onto the unfezant for now.

Thomas made it to the pavilion just in time for the emboar to ready its next attack, using a fire punch causing Rebecca to cough up some blood, but Thomas counted before it could hit her again. He grabbed the emboar's arm, jumping over it while holding on him, both with his arm and adding a serious psychic boast to the attack. He promptly threw the emboar into the ceiling, not holding back since he know the emboar wouldn't die from the attack. Still, just for measure, as soon as it landed, Thomas jumped up on him pounding the pummel of his blade into the emboar's head, then blasted him with a full force thunder attack.

-x-

Xent once again tried to get around the group of pokemon protecting the workers as they worked, already having unloaded the device from one truck and already starting to move it onto the next one. Zai landed another dark claw attack into the side of a large thorh, only to get hit again by the jolteon who seemed to have it out for her.

Verna once again threw it off her, but only to have her own problem come up as a fellow psychic type separated her off from the rest of the others for some sort of psychic duel, always going to hit her the second she tried to help the others.

With both of Xent's pokemon distinctly busy though, he had to take on one himself, a darmantian to which he responded by planting one of his crowbars in his face. "These guys are crazy." He shouted out, slamming the darmanitan again to get around it and attack one of the workers. While he got the one enough for the entire group to drop the device, two more workers and one of their pokemon all tried to gang up on him with mixed results.

Xent was easily able to fend off the two workers, it was easy to see that they weren't used to fighting, but the simisage was very quick and hard to hit. Sarah was able to take down another of the workers with her bow, going for another arrow, only to find it empty already, her mienfoo jumping up to knock a woobat out of the air for her. She quickly dropped shouldered her bow once again pulling out her kubotans to defend herself.

She easily hit the woobat while it was on the ground to try and knock it out as she charged forward, the workers already had the device back off the ground and were loading into the other truck.

Xent turned just in time to see Zai take another hit though, looking around for Verna to see that she was rather busy. Zai threws the jolteon off once more, only for it land easily enough and jump onto her mane while she was dealing with another pokemon.

The jolteon puts all of its power into one last attack, an electrical based explosion attack as Xent screams out in worry and anger, smashing in another head with his crowbars to try and get to her.

Sarah looks on, as the truck starts to take off again, only to see something fly past her head, a familiar looking blade. The blade lands hard in the side of the machine, followed up by a bolt of lighting hitting the blade. The entire machine sparks for a few before the entire truck blows up, what few workers weren't on it and their pokemon quickly running, now much more afraid of dying at the hands of the liepard for failing her.

Radara no longer busy with the dragonite has a chance to move in and deal with the few remaining pokemon who didn't run.

Sarah feels bad at first for all the people on the truck, but knowing what they were going to do with the machine, she tries to push those thoughts out of her head as she moves to check up on her mienfoo.

With the last of the pokemon taken care of and the machine destroyed, everyone regroups. "Any signs of Juno?" Thomas asks as he gently carries Rebecca in his arms over to the others, his eyes glowing as his swords floats back over to him.

Radara looks around and nods. _'She has found your friend, and is watching over her. It seems that they tried to interrogate her, but she resisted. Juno is taking good care of her and waiting for us.'_

Xent gives a sigh of relief as he looks over Zai, who looks mostly okay, but has been knocked out for now. He calls her back to her pokeball for a long rest, the same with Verna before he moves to Thomas.

"That's how you handle things." He smirked looking at the mess of the machine. "At least that is dealt with." He grinned only to hear someone clapping behind them.

Everyone turns around to find one last work smiling as he stretches his neck. Next to him, the liepard is just sitting there. _'I should have attacked as well watcher, but lucky for you I found another way to amuse myself. It was fun watching him struggle so much at times thinking he might die in that attack of yours.'_ She says, covered in blood, but a closer look shows small signs of something else just barely visible between her legs.

Sarah is plainly repulsed by the fact turning away, even Xent is clearly shown annoyed by her smug mood. Thomas and Radara are the only ones who clearly ignore her condition as they prepare for another fight.

'_This was fun, but pointless you know. Still, I will wait for your answer watcher till next time. Come my pet, I am tired and need a bath, you will do until I find someone better, so don't disappoint me.'_ She begins to walk away, melting into the shadows as the worker stops to flip the group off, a bit of a dark aura showing over him before he follows his master.

Thomas quickly returns Rebecca to his ball as he takes a battle stance. "Wait, you lost here, what makes you think I'm just going to let you get away." Thomas growls, feeling some of his dark power start up as well, but he didn't entirely fight it.

The liepard smiles as turns to face him. Her voice quickly starts to laugh in their heads as she grins _'Why? Did you really think I would have only one of those wonderful toys lying around. I knew you would come here and I let you because I thought it would be amusing. I'll not have fools defile my land much longer, and soon, this entire land will be mine. I'll let their own pokemon destroy them, and watch as they die, the same as they did to her. No watcher, I have another device already in place and before you say anything, did you really think I would be telling you this if I thought you had a chance of changing its outcome. While you were busy fighting here, the device was already set and should have gone off. I'm sure you'll enjoy trying to clean up the mess though watcher.'_ She laughs as she quickly sinks into the shadows before they can stop her.

At her words, Xent quickly pulls out his all in one trainer phone and quickly finds the news apps. "Breaking News in Salton City. It is pure chaos as law enforcement and the local law enforcement and trainers everyone are unable to stem the tide of wild pokemon that run wild through the streets destroying everything they seem able to get their paws on. Many people try taking cover from the unprovoked attack, but…" The news report is suddenly cut short by several screams and the camera is dropped only have a large thing of blood splash over the lens.

Looking around, Xent quickly points out a large column of smoke starting to rise up.

"Salton City is just a few miles from here." Xent states. "They always hold a major pokemon show a few weeks before the Unova League, its one of the biggest attractions in the area this time of year."

Thomas slams his fist downs as he looks at Radara and Sarah. "Tell Juno to catch up to us as soon as Xent has his friend." Thomas states as Radara quickly relays Juno's location to Xent as Thomas, Radara, and Sarah all take off for the rising smoke.


	21. Chapter 21

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 21

Xent wakes up with a start, his pillow moving a bit as he quickly reaches for his crowbars ready to attack. He stops just as fast as he woke though, remembering the fact that its just Zia.

He had given his pillow to a needy family, which was why he was waking up with his head against her side now. He sat up slowly as he looked around.

He couldn't help but still be very tense, looking around the area of the ruined city. His tent was just one of the thousands set up in the city park, and he could hear some large trucks pulling up outside.

Opening the tent, being careful not to wake up the people sharing his tent, he looks outside, government trucks loaded with nearly everything had finaly arrived on scene. It was just barely dawn and looking around he could see so many people working already.

Several policemen, rangers, and other people all working and quickly moving to the truck to get supplies. He still noticed a distinct shortage of pokemon though, only a few trainers still trusting their pokemon. He once again looks around, several medical tents stocked with injured people, a bus already set up and preparing to move some of the more serious cases to a proper hosptial in the next city.

The more Xent looked around though, the more he thought it was impossible to see such destruction. He has traveled to other regions before, and it seemed that most regions had their own unique evil "Team" style organization. While most of these teams had attacked the region they were in, none of them had ever matched the destruction that had taken place in Salton city. They wanted to rule, not destroy. What good was it to rule though if there was nothing left to rule.

He feels Zai stir just a bit and sits up, only to slowly stroke the side of her face, trying to keep her calm. He knew what her problem was, she was having nightmares again. He wasn't too surprised, even he had trouble sleeping after what all he had seen yesterday. Thinking about it now though, he began how he even feel asleep in the first place, only to recall Verna calming presence in his mind just before he blacked out. Still, he tries to replay the events of the last two days

-x-

There was no telling how far behind he was compared to when Thomas arrived, but it was easy to recall the chaos. When he had arrived on the outskirts of the city, several people were running, most of the pokemon in the area seemed to be in an unchecked rage, attacking anyone and everything they could.

Xent had to call back his pidgeot and Verna since they both seemed to start losing control as well. This left him with just his flareon, Pyra, and Zai, who while able to fight, was still tired and a bit weak. From there things only got worse as he had to fight pokemon from all sides, both to save himself, as well as rescue several people and a few pokemon that had been unaffected by the device.

The deeper into the city that Xent managed to fight his way into, the worse things got. He could hardly believe that there was nothing but a massive pile of ruble where the pokemon center use to be, there were no signs at all to tell was it was by the time he got there.

He quickly had to move on though, he couldn't idle, not while that device was active. He didn't know where to look though, but that didn't stop him from trying.

He wasn't sure how long it was until at last he found what he thought to be the device, even if it did look different from the one back in the park. Before he could reach though, a small group of mons ambushed him, knocking out Zai in quick order before any of them could counter.

From there it quickly got out of hand, Pyra was knocked out nearly as fast before the pokemon turned on him. It was sheer luck that he managed to find some cover after calling back his pokemon before there was a loud explosion. He ducked out of his cover just long enough to take a look, the machine was now in pieces, and he could easily make out Thomas standing next to it, a power line in his hand.

After that though, things were blur as most of the wild pokemon just ran off, obviously scared of something, but still acting as though they didn't know what they had done. Several tamed pokemon though began looking for their masters and trainers, many people though were still very much afraid of them.

-x-

He shook his head, that was all he could really remember from his arrival at the city. As for yesterday, it was all just a bigger blur, so much going on, so much work and trying to help people. He got up and continued to look around. He quickly made his way to the large cargo trucks though. "I'm here to help." He said weakly, still tired and out of it, but there was work to be done. He was quickly handed a large crate and then pointed over to one of the medical tents.

He was working as fast as he could, but when he turned around to go get another box, he had run back and pull man off one of the workers from the trucks. The man was obviously hungry, and needed food, but he had to question the man just striking out like that. He wasn't hurt, a few small bandages on his arm for minor scrapes.

Xent growled as the man was quickly arrested, but several other people started shouting about what had just happened. He couldn't believe how everyone was acting. He would have thought that because of what had happened, everyone would be coming together. While there were some fights from yesterday, everyone was still trying to help out. Instead, looking around, it looked like a riot was about to break out as everyone started blaming everyone else. Their yelling only woke up more people, who quickly joined the argument though.

Already people were once again calling out pokemon, ready for battle. Before anyone could make the first move though, there was another small explosion, a light post had blown up and Thomas was standing right next to it.

"What is wrong with all you retarded fools. You're all lucky to be alive after what happened and what's the first real thing you want to do. You want to start killing each other again just because they are there." He stated, his fists clenched, obviously ready to fight himself. "You're city in is ruins, there are people still trapped out there, people who are could be dying and need help. I came here to try and help you people, to attempt to save you and if all you care about is fighting, then go ahead. Start a fight, wreck what little is left here. A fight here will only destroy the supplies, burn the medical tents, maybe even ignite an exposed gas line or two." His voice was quickly growing loud with each word now. "As far as I'm concerned, every last one of you assholes can fend for yourselves."

Xent and everyone else could feel the raw anger in the air, several pokemon quickly taking several steps back towards their trainer knowing that he was the last person they wanted to deal with after what had already happened.

Xent continued to look on, Rebecca once again grabbing Thomas's arm, her ears down as she whined loudly, trying to calm him down. While everyone else only saw a worried pokemon trying to calm their master and keep them from doing something drastic, Xent could see something more to it. Just past him, he could see Sarah and Radara there as well, just as worried as Rebecca.

"If any of you have any worth at all, you'll shut up and get to work. People are dying out there and need help." He quickly made his way through the crowd, everyone stepping back to let him pass, his pokemon and Sarah following behind him. It took a few, but his words sunk in as Xent quickly moved to follow him, first one other person joining him, then another.

xXx

Xent didn't know how many people had followed Thomas as he made his way to some of the larger buildings, the hospital and pokemon center which were conveniently placed next to each other. With as many wounded as there were, Xent understood why Thomas had started work there, calling out his pokemon to help try and get into the rubble. Any medical supplies and gear could be put to great use as people began to spread out.

Radara lead a group of people off around the block herself, her sharp mind easily able to find where people were still trapped and pointed the way out to them, as well as helping herself, moving several smaller bits of debris, and helping to move the larger bits.

Every time Xent looked up though, there were more trucks and more people helping. He couldn't exactly be happy about it though, because while there were so many people helping, there were just as many people sitting back, demanding help with something, or arguing over this and that. He looks back to Thomas who is obviously trying to ignore the smaller bits of arguments around him when a voice calls out, drowning out the crowds.

"Be at peace my brothers and sisters. We have much work to do here. All this needless arguments and bitterness help no one. The young man is right, many people and pokemon are still out there in this ruined city." His voice carries with ease, even without the aid of a megaphone, everyone can still hear him.

Xent turns to face the new comers to the city, recognizing them easily enough from their uniforms. The Order, a philanthropist group of massive size, who work with all the various regions as a disaster relief group, their primary purpose to help out where ever they can. They worked with the various regions that they were allied with, giving them special rights among other things, all in the effort to clean up disaster left by pokemon and even humans. In recent years though, with the rise of so many large scale criminal organizations that used pokemon actively as weapons, their efforts and additional resources were a much needed relief for most regions, doubly so in the smaller regions.

Despite knowing who they were though, Xent was a bit surprised to see them however, not because they were there, but because it seemed to take them so long to arrive compared to how quickly they always seemed to be there right after a disaster, normally always there in just about a single day.

The voice sparks up again and Xent can finally make out the man speaking, King Faraday. While not a real king, or even royalty, it wasn't an uncommon joke to compare him it to it. It was said that he had built up The Order from scratch, using his own money and resources to help them expand and turn into what had become. He was quiet the charismatic man, able to convince several thousand people to join his cause and work in person, while convincing thousands more to help donate to whatever cause or disaster he was promoting help for, even donating large sums of his own money just to get the ball rolling. He mostly stayed in Unova though, where he was best known and continued to help out with all of the out of region Order operations.

Xent could easily see how he was able to lead so well though as he looked on. A large group of his trusted friends and fellow Order members walked behind him as he moved through the large crowd, somewhere even getting a reporter or two into the mix. The king ignored the reporters for now though, a large scowl on his face, as though he were a parent ready to scold their child for their bad behavior.

"Why do you all cry as if your toy was broken, or that it's not your problem. You all live here, its your town, your home, the place you work, the place you live with friends and family. Many of your neighbors, friends, family, pokemon who live here are buried or hurt, calling out for help even if you can't hear them. But you still act as if this is not your concern." His voice is strong and carries his sorrow for the scene well. Xent finally got a good look at the man now, wearing a very high end suit, mostly red in color with a white dress shirt underneath to go with blue pants. His hair was graying a bit a swell, but what got Xent's attention most of all were his eyes, looking about as though he were a predator looking for prey.

"I am shamed that you let your petty differences come between you all." He walks over to where there is a large group of other people working and right off the bat, throws off his jacket like it was nothing and begins to help moving the rubble, those with him doing the same. The group of them get some things moved aside, before coming to large bits of rubble. He takes a few steps back, pulling out his pokeballs. "Come forth Blade and Inferno!" He throws them into the air, calling out his gallade and magmortar. "Blade, find the people and pokemon inside and clear a path for them when he finds them Inferno."

Almost right away, his pokemon go to work as several of the other members from the Order call out their pokemon and being to spread throughout the city. Blade quickly points to broken stair well and begins cutting away at some of the debris waiting for Inferno to catch up. Once he does though, it was very easy for him to quickly lift up most of the larger bits of debris and within a minute of work, they had already freed a small group of people and pokemon. A medical crew rushed over to meet them and check them for injuries.

King just smiled at the work and turned, only to see a small group of reporters there waiting for him. "Mister Faraday, Mister Faraday. Could I get a word from about why it took so long for you and your group to show up. Compared to the several other relief efforts you have helped with, you appear to be rather slow to make a move this time." One reporter quickly stated, but he just smiled.

He turns and looks over the city, then back at the reporter. "Yes, I admit that most of my people were slow to arrive to the scene, but it is not without reason. Some members of the Order were investigating the cause of this strange occurrence of pokemon going wild and we wanted to make sure that it was ok to come in with our pokemon." He explained as he pointed around the city, while all members of the Order were working along side their pokemon to help the city, there were still some people who strayed clear of the pokemon, obviously scared of them now. "We along with our pokemon want to help out where go. But given the nature of what had happened, I felt that I would do better holding back just long enough to make sure that our own pokemon would not go wild as well. Additionally, I had some trouble trying to organize supplies for this effort, or I would have arrived sooner." He slowly started to move through the city looking over the city. "I did send people in as soon as I heard of the attack though and those in the Order who did arrive during the attack were able to learn several things though. For instance, while working alongside the local law enforcement and rangers in the area, we have learned the source of had made all those pokemon go mad. We have also learned who need to thank for destroying the device and saving the city." One of King's men merely pointed down the road, to where many people were still working, ignoring the crowd.

King smiled quickly spotting the man that was described to him and starting moving towards Thomas who was helping up an injured nurse from the wreckage of the pokemon center. Xent looks a bit startled by this and thinks that maybe Thomas might actually get some help with the Order. He quietly follows along, helping out here and there as he follows along.

Before King and the large group of people reach Thomas, Rebecca alerts him to their attention as he turns and hands the nurse off to a medical crew who get her down to the medical tents. Radara seems to pick up on something though, the same as Rebecca as they go to start to get into a defensible position, only to be called off by Thomas quietly before they can.

King is smiling, but Xent feels something different from it. As it it's a fake smile to hide something else. King reaches out a hand and to Xent's surprise, Thomas reaches out to shake it. Yet, looking at Thomas, he can see the same fake expression, forcing a calm look. They continue to shake lightly, but Xent can see King try to squeeze Thomas's hand a bit. Some of King's men try to move around him, but King calls them off in the same quiet manor as Thomas.

Everyone else seems much too concerned about trying to get to Thomas and thank him, the members of the Order, trying to give King and Thomas some room since they were ordered against surrounding him. Xent is left confused about it though, those kinds of actions weren't friendly, those were the actions saved for cornering an enemy and he can't quiet figure out what Thomas did to invoke such hostile actions, even if they were quiet ones.

"Well young man. I am glad there are people like you out there who believe in helping others when they are in need. This is what the world needs, people who care about strangers and will do what is needed to save those in need, whether they are pokemon or human. We all need to join together and repair the bridges that evil destroys. We must crush the evil of this world that threatens our way of life." King seems to grip Thomas's hand harder and Thomas just fakes like its hurting. King catches on and releases his hand, making it seem like it was just showing off a bit, but Xent knows betters as he looks around. Sarah, along with their pokemon aren't next to Thomas, and he has to look around hard for them, catching them on the end of one street, already packed and just waiting for him.

Xent has to blink and make sure that they were there, wondering how fast they moved like that. He's quick to start for his own things as well, motioning for Verna and Zai to get to his things ready for him so that he won't lose them this time. He looks back to Thomas, who gives another fake smile for the cameras while standing next to King, both tense being so close to each other. A very loud metal groaning sound catches everyone attention though, everyone quickly turning to see another building start to fall and panic breaks out again. Several of the Order call out their pokemon to try and minimize and control the damage, pulling people from harms way as the reporters all watch as the building falls down.

King looked at the scene himself, only to quickly look back to where Thomas was, only to find empty air there, Thomas no where in sight. Xent uses the distraction himself to catch up with Zia and Verna, calling Verna back as he puts his pack on and runs down the alley that Sarah and the others had disappeared down. Sarah's words once again come to mind though. _'Its blissful to be ignorant. Its better to not know because knowing will change everything.' _He doesn't even hesitate though, he would have his answers no matter the cost.

-x-

King just smiles as he looks slowly through the crowd, not in any way expecting to find him. "He is just like the ninja they claim is he." He says quietly to himself as the building finally topples over entirely and the dust begins to settle. More reporters look his way, but his men move them along as he quickly goes to work along side his men.

"Sir? Why did you not attack him, or even let us handle the demon?" An acolyte asks once they are alone trying to get through the rubble.

King looks at the man with a dark look now that he is alone without the reporters or civilian ears around. "I will not let what happened in the Kanto Region happen here. That fool Samael let them off their leashes and they killed a number of civilians with no regard for the damage or loss of life they caused or how it would reflect upon us. No one would help us if they believed we behaved in such a barbaric manor. We are knights, we must uphold the rites and honor the code." He explained. "I forbid anyone to touch him until this blows over, we do not need followers for him. You kill him right now and you could turn him into a martyr. We have no idea how many people he has following him right now. No, we will take this one step at a time. I will not make the same mistake that fool made. It took us a year to find him after we lost him last time and we only know he is here because of that tip. Coria already has my blessing to track him, but like you, she has been ordered not to touch him." He turns and motions for more people to come help out with the newly fallen building.

xXx

Although Thomas wanted to stay and help out, he couldn't do much good if he was a target for the knights. They hurried out of the city, eager to leave the knights behind. As much as Thomas hated to admit it, the Order would do a lot more good in the city then he could alone. He was just thankful that only a handful of knights were actually part of the Order, and that most people were normal volunteers.

Thomas turned to take one last look at the city as they left. While rare, Thomas had seen damage on this scale in the past, during massive wars. Just looking at it, he knew that it would take years for the city to recover if it could even recover. He simply prayed that the liepard would leave the city in peace now. He turned to move on, quickly taking one of the lesser known routes heading south. Thomas had an idea, and he knew just the place to possibly make it work.

-x-

A few hours passed before they were once again hidden in the forest, but something they knew that they were being followed this time. Waiting until just the right the moment, they laid in wait, Thomas quickly dropping down the tree he was in, pinning the stalker hard against the truck.

Xent cried out as he was slammed into the truck, only to silenced just as fast with Thomas covering his mouth. Zai was quick to try and defend her master, only to have Thomas show his power, turning Xent to face her, his power showing as he drew his blade with his mind and readied it use. "Hide us now, there are others coming." Thomas stated as Zai bared her fangs, only to do what she had been told.

"It is in your best interest right now to do exactly as I say." Thomas warned Xent in a hushed voice, forcing him to look back up at him. "I have every right to knock you out, drag you the nearest police station and let you spend the next week or two in jail, and you know I can make up any lie I want and the police will believe it."

Xent growled, trying to get free once more, only to have Thomas blast him with a moderate does of electricity before knocking his legs out from under him, pinning him to the ground. "Choose your next words carefully because they will determine what happens to you and if you lie to me, I will know." Radara was now sitting next him, already prepared to invade his mind if needed. "Did you let anyone follow you here?"

Xent glared at Thomas, but shook his head. Radara looked him over and nodded. "Just be very very quiet now." Thomas stated as he stopped his flow of electricity and lowered his blade, but still didn't release Xent right away. "I'm warning you, if these people find us, they will kill us no matter the cost."

Xent still struggled a bit to get free, before he went completely still. Someone was approaching. The bushes were moved aside as three people moved into the clearing, Zai hiding them, but still growling a bit.

Three men came out looking around, weapons drawn, two of them wearing the same uniforms as the Order from Salton city, while the third was in full knight gear.

Thomas couldn't help but be troubled, while it was common to send knights after him, for the knights to be so desperate to send acolytes after him was another story. Acolytes usually never got this kind of field work to his knowledge, they were often left back at their facilities training for these kinds of days, or out helping the general public working with the Order. They were often too eager, and much to inexperienced, one of Thomas's sisters in the early years of the knights had proved that.

More memories come back to him as he starts to recall the last time he had heard of acolytes in the field trying to attack the watchers.

xXx

Silva and her partner, Helios, a fearow were getting ready to depart at nearly the same time as many of the other watchers back when the knights were first born. She was one of the first that they had openly attack, but they were hardly ready for her. They had come at her with a small force, mostly acolytes at the time since they didn't have many trained knights. She was one of the best watchers at the time however, always finding peace in the many days that she had wandered off to train with her weapon, a large halberd. She easily defended herself as the knights kept coming, but even with her ice type abilities to slow the knights down and her partner defending her, she was eventually struck down with poison and fell soon after. Word spread quickly though, even though Silva had been defeated, she had nearly wiped out the entire force of knights, and all of the acolytes that had been sent after her. The village paid dearly for her actions as well, and while few were killed back then, the knights left their village in shambles and pieces, not even bothering to help them even with winter coming. It was that fight that led the watchers to stray from asking others for help, not wanting to bring others into their own fights.

xXx

Thomas was a bit too distracted for his own good as he looked down, recalling more memories of Silva and Helios, only to hear Zai scream out. Her illusion fell just as she fell to the ground and things broke into chaos from there.

Xent quickly broke free of Thomas's grip, rushing towards Zai as she coughed up blood. The knight and both acolytes gladly ignored him though seeing Thomas, their demon standing there and all charged in, including a fourth man, a squire of sorts.

Thomas knew that he had no choice, even if he would have preferred to avoid fighting them, doubly so when still so close to a town.

-x-

Coria watches as the knight who leads the charge. She knew that he was with Samael, but she didn't think that he would disobey orders so easily. They had been directly ordered not to attack, and she understood why. They were ill prepared, barely having enough poison to even give their weapons a light coat, much less have the pokemon to assist them, forced to leave behind most of their pokemon to help out back in Salton City. King had called the man a rabid dog and seeing how recklessly the knight charged in, she could easily see why.

She merely climbed up a large tree to stay out of view. She knew that this fight was hopeless, it would grant the knights nothing and the demon would get away again. The would come a day that he was no longer around, but even then the knights would still have to keep a constant vigil for future evils. She knew that he wasn't last of the evils that the world would be plagued with, but she also knew that the knights couldn't keep operating like they were either, always in the shadows.

She firmly believed in King, and that was why she followed her orders, still just sitting back. She was a high enough ranking knight herself that if it somehow became public that she was involved in this attack, it would spell trouble. King's goal was to one day openly announce the purpose and idea of the knights to the world, to have everyone share in their grace and honor. That was the purpose of creating the Order in the first place, to help people join with the knights, to see their cause, to help them rally to the proper cause.

Incidents like what happened in Kanto though, incidents like that would leave a different mark behind, and possibly turn people away from the knights, to join with the demon. She looked around, they were still close enough to a town, that if things got out of hand, they would be noticed and forced to explain what was happening.

With his false claims of saving a city, many would see the demon as a hero, to which Coria growled at the thought. She knew that the demon was involved with the city, no doubt he somehow set everything up himself, only to save the city. What purpose attacking the city, and then openly saving it served though was beyond Coria. Still, with things as they were now, this thing was still a hero, a title that should have been saved for the Order. They needed information, surely even the demon couldn't have made the attack alone though, and that was partially why she was sent to track him. Hopefully he would lead the knights right to whatever group of followers the demon had and prove what he had done. Then they could show his deeds, broadcast them openly, show the world what he was really was, and put him down.

She growls as she looks back to Xent, feeling sorry for him, as well as the girl who was traveling with the demon, Sarah if she recalled the name right. Although Coria was against it and called it cowardly, the higher ups among the knights felt that they could take advantage of her parent's divorce, making it very open and public, in the hopes of drawing her out, hoping to capture her and learn more about the demon.

She just continues to look on, the demon, Sarah, and their pokemon more then a match for their attackers. Sarah was in complete control as she defended herself against one of the acolytes, who foolishly tries to use his houndour against her. Her dragonair was able to deflect or counter any move that was made against it, keeping it pinned in one direction while she personally paired up with her meinshoo to take down the acolyte.

She can only wonder who the acolyte made it this far to begin with, even acolytes were expected to have some decent knowledge of combat and battling. He was hardly putting up any kind of fight as the meinshoo knocks him down, only for Sarah to grab his robe and tie a large knot in one side, severely restricting his movement, before trying to pin his arms and legs down to tie them up as well.

She turns to look at the demon now, watching him hold the knight, the squire, and the other acolyte at bay, even with their pokemon fighting around them. She watches as he effortlessly keeps pushing the acolyte into the squire, deflecting every swing from the knight, while his lucario watches his back, alerting him to their movements while helping to fend off an emboar.

She can tell that he isn't even using his powers much, only to deflect a small blow here, or disorient them from time to time. She is confused by this at first, but has to control her anger watching him make such fools of her comrades. She can't help but see his actions as toying with the knights, intentionally avoiding their weak spots, knowing that they can't best him with such a small improper force, its just a game, sport for him.

The others were so blind with their cause of killing him, they don't even realize that he is the demon of legend. She knew that he was, she had seen him in combat before, knowing full well that he wasn't serious about this fight.

She wondered how long it would take before he showed his true colors, the emboar that was fighting his lucario landing a solid blow, nearly lighting her fur on fire as the lucario screams out. Coria watches as the demon suddenly uses his power, turning to blast the emboar with a lighting bolt, sending it flying and nearly knocking it out before he turned to disarm the squire just as quickly. The squire didn't stand a chance as he was flung into the knight, both of them falling over before being blasted themselves as he turned to help his lucario.

She is curious to his actions, surprised to see such a dark thing turn to help the lucario, quickly kneeling down spray her with a potion of his own. She didn't think he was capable of such kindness, but she grins, that just gives her another thing to use against him later should she have the chance.

She looks over just in time for the acolyte to get up, and charge the demon once more, with a broken vial in his gloved hand, the vial they used to carry their poison. She fully expects him to get knocked back before he can do anything, but he surprised her as the demon is for some reason distracted long enough for the acolyte to plunge the broken vial into the demon's back first. As soon as he did however, he was blasted backwards when the demon lashed out at him.

The knight and squire get back up to see that the demon is wounded, and Coria can see the look in their eyes, fully expecting the glory for killing the demon. Sarah and her pokemon move to defend the weakened demon though.

She watches the espeon lash out herself, throwing all of the pokemon she had been fighting back towards the knights, two of them already knocked out. She was glad more then ever that she had her head piece on, the tiara's soul purpose was to protect her from the psychic and hide her mind from it.

The knight and squire are both easily dealt with once more, their pokemon even worse off when the espeon lashes out a second time to knock them out, even scaring Coria a bit.

The acolyte that Sarah had tied up finally managed to break free of his bonds, only to grab a knife and go after the demon. The demon raises up its blade in a weak attempt to save himself, but she can see that he is beaten. No epic battle, no great story to tell, just killed by a pair of acolytes who got in a pair of lucky blows.

Before the young warrior could finish his blow though, someone intervenes.

-x-

Xent was leaning over Zai, the others ignoring him to attack Thomas and those who fought with him. He turns Zai over, finding a large barbed dart in her back, pulling it out with one hand as he digs around in his pack for a potion with his other hand. She was bleeding and badly, the potion hardly stopping the wound. He starts to freak out a bit, worried that he was going to lose her like this, after all that he went through to save her the first time they met.

It should have been simple for him, he spent years learning how to handle serious injuries, but for some reason, he panics and bit and it all slips in his mind. He recalls all the time he had spent with her as he watches the wound continue to bleed on her back.

He once more looks to his bag, finding an ultra potion, and quickly putting the entire thing to use, spraying the potion over Zai's back.

The potion is slow to take effect, but at last the bleeding begins to slow and her breathing starts to pick up just a bit. He continues to apply the potion until the wound has stopped bleeding for the most part and she looks up at him, thanking him once more. He puts her back in her pokeball, knowing that she'll be okay in there as long as he gets proper treatment for her soon.

With her put away though, his anger quickly swells as he grabs his crowbars. He sees one of the acolytes carrying a similar dart around his belt, his weapon raised as he ready to attack Thomas, who he can tell is weakened.

He yells out, his crowbar smashing over the shoulder of the knight, a loud crack heard as he breaks the man shoulder, throwing him to the ground.

The acolyte's pokemon tries to intervene but is swatted away as though it is nothing but a bothersome fly, while Xent just continues to beat on the man.

The acolyte is already on the ground, bleeding badly as Xent raised his crowbar once more, only to feel something yank it from his hands. "Stop it." A voice yells out. It's strong, but grows a bit weak at the end. Xent turns, seeing Thomas barely able to stand as he looks at him.

He can see Thomas's lucario help him up as he looks horrible, obviously in horrible shape. "Stop it Xent, don't lose yourself. It will kill a piece of you if you kill him. You'll be no better then them if you go down that path. It will eat away you until there is nothing if you if you take his life like this and let your anger guide you. You're not a killer, don't become on." Thomas pants hard, his breathing a bit uneven as he shakes, Rebecca whining at his condition.

Xent looks around, the rest of the knights pokemon are down, all four of them men attacking them knowing that they are beaten. "GET OUT of here before we do something you won't live to regret." Xent shouts at them as they quickly grab the knocked out acolyte and run off.

He turns back to Thomas and the others only to hear something in his mind, and it wasn't same as the other voices he heard lately. It is filled with sadness and worry though. He can tell that the others are all very worried about Thomas, who seems to have passed out for a second, only to gasp out looking up just for a few before seeming to pass out again.

"What's wrong with him?" Xent asks as he looks on, feeling partially responsible for what happened. He couldn't believe that he had led those fools here by following Thomas.

'_Radara, please save him, his aura is fading fast, I can feel him slipping from me…He… he… I don't want to lose him.' _Rebecca cries out as she looks over Thomas, tears in her eyes.

'_Please dear, calm yourself… he will be okay…I promise you that much, but we are still in danger.' _Xent easily identifies Radara's voice this time as he looks at her. Its obvious to see that she's not wounded physically, but is still somehow looking like she has whatever Thomas has. _'The poison won't kill him, he's evolved past that point, but he certainly… can't defend himself like he is right now. Because of our link, the poison is also affecting me as well. We need to hide until he can… flush out the poison from his body.'_ Radara explains, her breathing labored just a bit herself.

"Why not take him to the hospital and have them look at him, maybe they can do something like cure him. You said he was poisoned, they have to have something for it." Sarah suggests as she gathers up their things.

'_No, the poison can't be cured, not anymore. The knights made sure it can't, they destroyed the flower that could help him long ago during the days of the traitor. The knights intentionally destroyed it since the poison was the only thing at the time that could slow our kind down. We must hide until its out of his system.'_ Radara countered, trying to be strong, but its easy to see from the way she sways a bit that its hard on her as well.

"Not possible. They know he is injured now, they will stake out the cities and any other place we might go now. It won't take long for them to plaster his face all over either, and with those reporters back at Salton, his face will be on every TV anyway." Xent states as he looks them over. "We can't afford to wait it either, they know he is weak and if they are serious, they'll do everything they can to find him before he recovers. We need to find a way to help him now."

Sarah and the others just remain quiet, thinking about possible ideas, but Radara is just constantly shaking her head, turning most of them down.

Xent looks at the mess once more before smiling. "I have an idea. It's a long shot, and we'll also need money… a lot of it. I know a back street doctor, no questions asked, but he has a large fee."

Radara just glares at him. _'No, will not allow this!' _Her voice booms in all of their heads. _'I refuse to all him to go some back alley hack who…'_

Thomas appears conscious once more. "No… we need… need to try it…" HE coughs as his breath is labored. "Where is it… no, nevermind. Radara… get it from his mind." Thomas states barely there as Rebecca whines more, trying to aura heal him a bit, but its useless. "If his gardevior helps… you … you can teleport… us there."

Everyone winces at the dark thoughts of anger and more images of very nasty things that come to everyone's mind, Sarah knowing that Radara can't help herself. It takes a few, but she agrees at last, calling out Verna for Xent and explaining things as she gets everything she needs to know from Xent's mind, even if she was a bit rough about it. Everyone gathers round as Radara and Verna do their best, the group vanishing in a flash.

-x-

Coria jumps down from her spot and looks over the knights still hiding. "You fools, what you thinking." She yells at them, not holding back as she pulls out her cell phone.

"Yes, sir." Coria quickly states as soon as the line on the other end picks up. "I am sorry to report that that fool from Samael ignored your orders. They attacked recklessly, all of them injured badly and will need medical treatment at once. I hate to admit this, but I will be unable to track them for now. They have teleported from the site, I don't know where they are going." Coria explained. "The demon has been poisoned though, but I am unsure of how long the poison will remain in effect, they seem to think they have some method to treat him, but I am unsure how. Yes sir, I will continue my pursuit. If I have the chance to take out the target quietly, do I have permission to do so." She paused for a few before speaking once more. "Yes sir, I will do as you ask."

She looks over at the others then turns to walk off from them a dark sad look coming over her face. "Damn it Xent, how could you attack him like that." She sighs. "I just pray that you haven't been corrupted."


	22. Chapter 22

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

~xXx~

Chapter 22

Castelia City, the city of grandeur. People come from all regions to see the city with its tall skyscrapers and fabulous buildings and with the great Skyarrow Bridge, a modern marvel. Yet, despite is ever growing limits and proper looks, the city like most others holds a second, much darker face. In the shadows of this great city, the back alleys and unwatched corners, things are not the same. Several shops tend to a different kind of person, those who don't care for the laws. Back door dealings such as the buying and selling of illegally obtained pokemon, drugs, and so much more. Of course, the things sold here aren't just limited to pokemon, and for the right price, you can find just about everything, including doctors who will work on anyone, human or pokemon, quietly, with as few questions asked as possible as long as they are paid.

-x-

The normally quiet alleyway is suddenly lit up with a bright light, Radara appearing first from the light, quickly followed by Verna, then the others. They arrive just a few inches off the ground, only to drop down slowly onto the bricks that make up the old alleyway.

A few smaller pokemon look up just long enough to look at the new group of people, only caring to see if they are they are there to try and steal what little they can scrounge up.

'_I am going to fucking kil…'_ Radara nearly collapses in a coughing fit as soon as they finish teleporting in. She stumbles around as she tries to keep her balance, only to finally fall over leaning against the well. Verna pants hard, the action of helping to teleport so many such a great distance was hard on her, but she was still standing, looking on at Radara, once again impressed by the sheer power the espeon had, merely helping to guide her in the act and help Radara focus. Verna was drained none the less though, even if she could at least still stand however.

Sarah quickly moves to pick up Radara though, before she actually falls over completely. Radara weakly paws at Sarah, but Sarah just ignores the exhausted espeon.

"You're dead on your feet because of that famous link you love to brag about that you have with Thomas, and now it's a double edged sword with you. Please stop with the images, because not only are they annoying, but its also making you weaker." Sarah states as she lightly flicks Radara's head jewel. Radara growls lightly, but gives up her actions, letting Sarah carry her.

'_Thomas is really weak, and I can barely get a response from him Xent. Please, where is this place you were saying that will help him, please I don't want to lose him… I can't lose him!'_ Rebecca's pleading voice can heard in their minds causing to Xent to look around once more, but quickly realizes who it is.

Xent looks for something real quick until he sees a vagrant sitting next to stoutland, the vagrant using the pokemon as pillow as he rests near a dumpster. Xent walks up as the others follow, Rebecca still carrying Thomas on her back as Sarah carries Radara. Xent looks at the vagrant for a second and then says something that confuses them a bit. "It was a sad day in the world when I was injured. Yet, it is hard for me to go to the hospital because I did something I was not supposed to do."

The vagrant slowly moves his hat a bit, looking at Xent then laughs. "So, I take it he sent you here? Oh well, I guess we could use the money for more drinks right Center?" The stoutland looks at his owner and gives a loud bark to say yes.

The vagrant gets up and wipes his hands on his already dirty clothing and holds out a hand. "Payment first, then we talk about your 'needs'." He gives them a crooked smile.

Xent looks at Sarah, but she quickly has her own words on the matter. "What, you want to have us pay up front? Hell no, I don't even know who the hell this bum is. I am not giving him anything until I know where the doctor is!"

The vagrant looks at her and the group, only to laugh. "You highbrow's who come here like this make my day knowing full well you're coming here and think your rules apply here. You come here knowing that you have no recourse but to find people like me and expect your rules to make you feel safe. I can yell out police and fake an injury and you would all get arrested for assault. Before you say anything, just remember that you came to me, not the other way around. Now, if you understand, payment first." He holds out his hand once more, still smiling.

Sarah grumbles, but one look at Thomas and she knows that he is right. She moves over to Rebecca who is carrying Thomas's pack over her shoulder. She reaches out and reaches into one of the side pockets, pulling out a small jewel box. Thomas had told her once that if she ever truly needed some extra cash, she could sell some of the gems he had collected over his vast lifetime. She already knew which one she was going for though, pulling out a large barely cut gemstone, already knowing which one she wanted to get rid of if she had the chance. It was a large ugly red and orange one that she couldn't believe Thomas had told her was really worth anything.

The vagrant's eyes just open up nice and wide as Sarah hands him the gem. "Man, you really must want this off the books." He quickly pulls out a small jeweler's lens and looks it over, finally biting down on it. "Well, let's get inside and you boy," The vagrant looks at Xent. "Go to the store down at the end of the street and ask for a 20 special. Also, tell the owner 'bluejay' and you won't get any trouble ok." Xent is about to protest though. "Now boy, I need that for what I need to do. Hurry now." He makes a shooing motion towards Xent as he sighs at a bit angry at the man, but quickly heads off.

"Now ladies… you are all ladies right? Well, whatever, come on in." He walks over to a large steel door and moves a brick aside to reveal a keypad. He types in the code and lets the door open up with a bit of a whine showing it could use some work. "I got this place from a less then faithful husband who was cheating on his wife with his absol. Though, from what I saw of his wife, I understood why he was doing his absol." He shuddered a bit recalling the unsightly lady before walking in. "Well, anyway, take the one you want me to work on to the table in the center." He explains before turning and saying something quietly to his stoutland who barks in response and moves back outside. "Well your friend has to have a way back in right? Come on lucario, put him on the table already. Don't worry, I'll help your human trainer." Rebecca growls a bit at the man, finally moving Thomas onto the table as takes off his coat and flicks a switch, the place slowly lighting up.

The group of them can see five rooms once the lights are on, with the main room that they are set up as the operating room for the man. It had the usual surgical equipment, a number of machines along one wall, and several shelves of various medical supplies and tools in one of the four spare rooms. He moves the one room with all the supplies and brings back a large bag with him setting it down on the desk next to the table, now wearing a lab coat.

He then looks Thomas over, only seeing a moderate cut on the back of his shoulder. "Well, what's the problem? I don't see anything major wrong with him." He says checking the cut, but not worried since there doesn't appear to be anything serious about it. "I don't see any major injuries, no serious bleeding, no missing limbs or anything like that." He gives Thomas a quick fix for the cut he has, taking a bottle of water and cleaning it up rather quickly before applying some bandages. "I assume you're his love interest." He looks over at Rebecca and how worried she looked. Rebecca looks rather flustered at his words, but before she could respond or anything, he just smiles. "Like I said, I don't judge here. To many do, I am paid to fix, not care. As long as he lives, I am doing my job." The door finally opens back up as Xent walks in with a paper bag being led by the stoutland.

"Well… damn this is a nice place." Xent states as he notices the doctor has everything he needs there, medical equipment, a room to rest and relax, even a kitchen. "You have a nice set up here doc." He sets the bag on the table. "But, why do you need this stuff?"

The doctor just takes the back and opens it up, pulling out a bottle of barcadii vodka, pops the cork without much of a warning takes a large swig.

"Nerves my boy. Hic….." He shakes a bit. "I know I said no questions, but he don't really need my services here it seems." He looks over Thomas once more as he is sweating profusely while shaking. "This seems to like some simple poison to me, any hospital, hell even the pokemon centers can give him an antidote for it… hic. And I know you're not above 'borrowing' supplies." He looks at them a bit confused as to why they came to him, they certainly didn't act like they were wanted felons or drug addicts like his usual customers. He takes a step back, only to bump into the bag he had pulled out earlier, knocking all sorts of tools to the ground. "Oops…"

'_I have had enough of this Xent. This idiot cannot be the one you speak of, how can this fool be anything that passes as a medical professional. He is a belligerent DRUNK!'_ Radara's voice is still out of it, but clearly heard.

The doctor looks at the espeon for a second, then the gardevoir, then back at the espeon finally able to see the angry look on her face. "Damn, Joe really got the good stuff this time." He takes another swig of his drink before picking up the things he knocked over. "The poison he has must be bad and you don't want to go to a hospital for normal treatment. This is going to be hard, do you have any idea what was he poisoned with?"

'_I said no-' _Radara is cut off by Thomas who just barely raises a hand.

"He… he needs t… to know." Thomas stated slowly, Rebecca whining a bit as she helped him up. "I was poisoned… by some en… enemies of mine…A poison... made from the venom of a … seviper and… and a rare flower from the Si-" Now Thomas is cut off by the doctor.

"The flower is called a red velvet. Wonderful flower, nice smelling, but deadly, able to take down a normal pokemon on their own. Hell, humans for some reason don't get the worse of the effects, but it can still make us just as sick." The doctor sighs wearily as he quickly goes back into the storage room and pulls out another pack with another hic. "You must be that so called experiment they forced me to mix the stuff for." He laughs as he comes back, but at his comment, everyone minus Thomas who was unable took up an aggressive stance.

"Don't worry." He just plainly ignores them as he sets down the bag and pulls out a few things. "I won't sell you out, they didn't exactly give me a choice in making the little cocktail anyway, just because I had a certain background that drummed me out of the legal profession." He explains as he opens up a small fridge that he kept a few other things in and pulled out a small vial and a syringe. "For illegal practices on human and pokemon." He made his small remark in a rather sarcastic tone shaking his head. "I'm not sorry for what I did, I was doing most of it to save lives and before you all start judging me being some high class folks, I had and still have the best intentions in mind." He finished mixing a small glass of something before setting it down and going to grab some alcohol swabs from the cabinet. "I've been through it all before. You can't experiment on live patients. Yet the stuff that could save lives from injuries and pain was all put on hold just because of these fucking rules."

He smiles as he cleans a small spot on Thomas's arm, then injects him with the first syringe he has and Thomas seems to calm down a bit. He waits a few, then injects him with the other vial and Thomas quickly grabs his stomach. "You hold him to side." He told Rebecca who looks up worried as he pulls over a wastebasket. Rebecca moves him just in time for Thomas to start to vomit. Thomas continues to hurl for a bit longer until at last, his stomach is completely empty.

"Now before you all go nuts, you have to understand the poison he was given isn't like any other out there. Some poisons paralyze you, others make you sick, and others just kill you." Radara still ready to go and attack the man but Thomas once again put his hand up weakly to stop her as he quits vomiting, looking just slightly better. This doesn't stop Radara from looking into the man's mind, only to back off feeling a bit bad. In the vagrant's partial drunken state, his mind was very open to her and he never noticed the extra set of thoughts in his head as he turned back to Thomas and Rebecca. "Most people might get an upset stomach at best from it, but mostly it would just make them a bit dizzy. It was made for the soul purpose of taking down a very specific target and only attacks very certain parts of the body, in this case his lungs and muscles to paralyze him and force him to stay down. It's not strong enough alone to straight up kill him. Before you ask, I know this because I still have the original sample they gave me. Still, you paid my fee, so you don't have to worry about my giving it up. He's just going to need some rest for a few days for the most part." The doctor stated as he moved over to taking another swig of his own drink before getting the glass he had mixed up earlier. "Drink this, slowly. It will taste horrible, but it should start helping your body fight back against what's left of the poison in you. It won't be easy, but they demanded that I make it as hard to get rid of as possible."

Rebecca looks up at him worried. _'But how does making him vomit help any?'_ She asked as he took the glass for Thomas to let him sip it.

The doctor just sits back and smiles. "Well miss lucario. The poison was made to hide in his stomach. While it obviously spreads through his body though, the stuff in his stomach turns everything else he eats into poison as well which just helps it infect as much of the body as possible. He'll need to go on a liquid diet for a while, before we can work him back onto solid foods. I assume you know it will cost mor-"

Sarah grumbles, but already threw two other small gems at him. "Is that enough?"

The doctor smiles. "Yes it is. Also, my name is doctor Peterson. I would recommend that you all find a hotel to stay at, I don't have room for all of you here and he'll need to stay here so I can keep an eye on him." Both Rebecca and Radara however give him deathly glares. "But you two can stay." He quickly just able to tell by looking at them they saying no would put him in a very bad position.

~xXx~

Sarah takes the rest of Thomas's pokemon to watch over them while she went with Xent to find a place to stay. They looked around for a while finally finding a close nearby that was quiet as far as the city was concerned. Xent just so happened to know one of the janitors there, who happily agreed to give them a heads up if he heard anything about someone looking for them.

Once in the room though, Xent turned to look at her. "So, are you finally going to give me some answers?" He asked as he set his things down. "I think I've earned some by now."

Sarah just sighed. "Are you still on about that?" She said falling back on the bed. "Look, it's not my place to tell you about Thomas. If he decides to tell you that's one thing, but he trusts me. He's already saved my life a few times over, I don't even know if I can ever really repay him for all that's done for me."

Xent watched her as she sat up, but didn't push the problem. He knew what it meant to trust someone and he respected her for that, even if it annoyed him to no end that he was still helping someone that he knew nearly nothing about. "Can you at least tell me why so many people want you dead?"

Sarah bit her lip a bit, at the very least he deserved to know something for saving them as she thought about what all she could tell him. "Let's just say that they are afraid of Thomas. You already know he's not what he appears to be, they just can't accept that he is not some sort of abomination."

Xent nodded. He could already tell that Thomas cared for the good of pokemon at the very least, and certainly did his best to help out nearly everyone around him. "Have you been running from these freaks long?"

Sarah's head dropped some and Xent knew that he may have asked a bad question. "If Thomas decides to tell you what he is, then we'll talk about it, but until then can you just drop it?" She asked quietly.

Xent nodded. "I didn't mean to put you into an uncomfortable position. Its just I've never heard of anything like this before." He said. He was still confused about the whole matter, but Thomas was the source of his confusion. He had heard rumors, seen videos of all sorts of people with supposed powers, and when he had nothing better to do, he followed up on them out of boredom. Of course, every one of them turned out to be a joke, just like he expected. Thomas however truly appeared to be the real thing and when his video went viral things changed. All around him, things started to change in small ways, ways that most other people ignored at first.

Xent sat back and looked around. "I'll be back in a bit. We'll need something to eat while we are here and there are a few things I want to check into."

Sarah nodded. "I really don't care what you get just as long as you get some fruit as well." She told him. "And please, don't bug Thomas."

"I won't." Xent replied and left.

-x-

Sarah mostly just laid back in the room, thinking about things, out of boredom turning on the TV just to see what all was on. As usual the first thing to show up was an update on the Salton City incident. The place was very slowly gaining progress, but there was already another riot in the works there as Sarah just sighed. Thomas's face currently being displayed next to King's in the corner of the screen, some comment about them being the hero's involved in the rescue of the city. They got plenty of comments from King, and what his plans were for the city. A few members of the Order were present as well telling of how they braved the city when it had come under attack.

Then it showed clips of a few other people, all talking about what little they saw of Thomas since they couldn't find Thomas for comments himself. "He came in and just plowed through the area. I thought I was a goner until he pulled managed to break the door of my car and pull me out. Just as fast as he saved me though, he was already moving to help the next person." One lady told the news crew. "I know the lad about as well as anyone else here. He showed up outta nowhere and mostly kept to himself. Didn't seem like he cared to make friends, was too busy helping as many as he could. Seemed to have some anger issues though, yelled at everyone when someone started to fight with another. Strangely, this seemed to do a good job of keeping everyone from breaking out into a riot, saved us rangers a lot of hassle from trying to break up would be riots." An older ranger stated. "I can understand why he was tense though. He worked so hard to save the city after all, of course it was crazy in the first place. Whatever he did to that thing with that power line worked. Once the machine blew up the attacks stopped. I don't know who would make such a thing, but someone out there obviously doesn't like pokemon. I just hope there aren't any more of the blasted contraptions." Sarah smiled that at least some people thought good of Thomas, hoping that other people listened to them around the region rather then listen to the lies of the knights.

The reports continued on for a little while before Sarah changed the channel to find something else, convinced that Salton City would somehow rebuild itself. As she went channel surfing however, she once again caught sight of a report on a world news channel of her parents breaking up. "In a recent interview, Mr. Joseph Sigil stated that he would refuse to put up with the arrogant woman he once thought to be the love of his life. He very clearly blamed her for the disappearance of their daughter who still is still missing nearly a year later. He is still issuing a wealthy sum to anyone who can provide proof that his daughter is okay and is seeking legal action against Thomas Falston for kidnapping his daughter and taking her away." Sarah looked in a bit of horror at how rashly and foolishly her father acting, only missing him a small bit as the report went on.

"In a most usual twist of things, Mrs. Angela Sigil seems to be doing quiet the opposite, focusing more of her time on trying to get Joseph kicked out of her mansion, inherited from her father. When questioned about how she felt about how Thomas had kidnapped her daughter, she only left this rather heated responded before slamming the door and having police remove the reports from the estate." The screen quickly switched to a video of Angela at her house answering questions showing that she was already trying to get inside her house and shoo off the reporters.

"Excuse me, Miss Sigil. We've noticed lately that you seemed to have stopped looking for your daughter as much as your husband. What are your reasons for this? Have you already found your daughter and are simply trying to hide it from Joseph and what about pressing charges against Thomas for-" Before the reporter could finish his question, it was easy to tell that he had hit a nerve.

"I'll have you all know that Thomas Falston is possibly one of the best things to happen to my dear Sarah. I miss her dearly, but she would never let someone kidnap her. She called me just before she left and I know for a fact that she left with him of her own choice. I quit looking for her because I know she is better off where she is rather then in this house with that… that thing here to try and force her to give up her career as a coordinator. Anyone who knows Thomas knows that he's a good boy and that he would never do such a thing. Now get off my property for the last time." She shouted before turning and slamming the door.

Sarah just smiled a bit failing to notice when the door opened Xent walked in carrying a few bags with him. She teared up a bit thinking about how much she missed her mother, but she was happy that her mother appeared to be alright, even more so that she was defending her decision to travel with Thomas.

The screen changed back to the reporter and an image of Sarah now. "In direct response to Miss Angela Sigil's comments defending Thomas Falston, Mr. Joseph Sigil quickly released his own comments and nearly doubled the reward up front, even offering a separate reward for anyone who could identify Thomas to bring him to justice."

"Wait a minute…" Xent quickly looked over the TV. "You… you're Sarah Sigil?"

Sarah looked up, in a bit of surprise at being found out. "What are you talking about?" She quickly countered as she done a few times before. She had learned real well to try and hide her real identity over the last year, and with a little help from Radara every now and then, no one ever knew who she really was. With Radara tied up though and else where, it fell to her to try and cover things up this time.

Xent merely paused the showed, glad to have gotten a room with DVR. "Yea, you are Sarah Sigil, you've just cut your hair and have a few scars. If you were looking to hide though, it might have been better to pick a different name." He commented. "But if you're Sarah Sigil, then…"

Sarah knew that it was over now, she couldn't lie well when she was in a bad mood. "Look, you can't tell anyone that I'm here." She said turning the TV off. "Please, it just won't do anyone any good okay."

Xent looked at her and took a seat next to her. "I take those same men who were after your friend also have something against you and your family?"

Sarah just nodded. "I told you that your world would change if you got to close to us." She said. "I… I had to leave my mother and friends behind to protect them. Those fools already tried to kill me a few times before we came here, they don't who they hurt." Xent just let her talk for now. He was familiar with things like this, people being forced from their homes because someone had more money and power, or in the case of certain other groups, merely didn't like. "They are so blinded by their own cause they refuse anything else as truth and take it out on anyone who they thing defies their ways." Sarah explained.

"The more I hear about this group chasing you, the worse it gets." He said softly. "They think that they are so much better then everyone else, they just do what they want when they want."

Before Xent knew what had happened, Sarah was leaning on him, not crying entirely, but also not entirely together at the moment. She had always wondered what happened since she had left her parents, and just finding out that they were divorcing was a bit hard for her, but to hear more of the story and how bad it was didn't do her any good.

Xent was a bit confused over what to do, but knew that he should try to comfort her somehow. "Hey, I know your feeling bad about… well you know, your parents, and I can't blame ya." He stated unsure how to help. "But you have look on the bright side, you knew your parents, and I'm sure pretty sure they still love ya, despite their recent… um… separation… gah, damn it." He paused for a few. "What I'm trying to say is stay strong and always know it can be worse." He puts his hand on her shoulder and pulls her just a bit closer. "Your pokemon care about you, they feel bad when you do, so try and cheer up for them. They're loyal to you, I can tell. You've raised and trained them well and they want to return the favor."

Sarah calmed down just a bit, the fact that both of her parents were arguing over things, trying to protect her in their own ways was proof that they did love her. She questioned her father's actions about how he was working to hard to find her and punish Thomas, but she knew that he still loved her in his own way.

She merely remained quiet leaning against him for a while before finally speaking. "Tell me about yourself." She said slowly, looking for anything to try and turn her mind away from the fact that her parents were fighting so much, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help them or reassure them that she was safe.

"What?" Xent gave her a confused look for the sudden question.

She remained still though, a bit eager to openly talk with someone after so long of running. "Please, just tell me about yourself." She repeated softly.

"Well… there really isn't much to tell." He said scratching the back of his head. He just sighed though and decided to tell her the whole truth since it would come out sooner or later. He had pried in about her past in a way and it was only fitting that she was allowed to listen to his. "Its not really that pretty. My grandpa raised me until I was 5, saying that my parents died in a car crash and that he was left to take care of me. He was swell guy, always loved and cared for pokemon, treated them better then most of the people he talked out."

"He sounds like a nice guy." Sarah said softly.

"He was, until I came home one day from kindergarten and found two men waiting for me. They said that there was some sort of accident and that they were old friends. I didn't know any better back then, I didn't think anything of it besides that I was alone and that he wasn't coming back. It wasn't until a long time later that I realized how messed up the situation was. There was no body, there wasn't even a funeral. I was taken to some sort of special orphanage from there, but it was really weird. They were very hardcore believers in Arceus. If you didn't follow their teachings, you were punished." He sighed. Sarah knew what he was talking about though, several religious orphanages were the same way but she could already tell that he wasn't one to just listen quietly. "After a year, I gave up trying to understand them and grew to hate them for trying to ram things down my throat instead of letting me decide things for myself. When I finally had the chance, I ran. I did what I had to in order to survive and eventually made some friends. They showed me how to survive and helped me get my trainer's license. I've been on the road ever since."

"Your friends… what are they like?" Sarah asked as she looked up at him.

"I'm… not sure you'd like them very much. You come from such a wealthy family, I don't think you'd get along with them so well, they speak their mind, even Felicia… especially Felicia. She pretty much keeps the lot of us in line." Xent stated.

"What wrong with a girl speaking her mind?" Sarah asked, feeling a tab bit insulted, but knowing that he didn't mean it as such.

"Well, I know you were raised in a high class family and you were a great coordinator, but I just don't think you understand people like me and my friends." He stated trying to think of a way to change the subject. "Hey, why don't you tell me more about your pokemon. I've known a few people who use to follow the larger contests and always mentioned you. What kind of do you favor for contests?"

She looked at him a bit confused, but in her state of mind, decided to just go with things to try and keep herself busy in a way. "Well, I had two pokemon that I liked to use for contests." She said. "Most of the time I like my dragonair since he likes to enjoy it so much. He enjoys showing off, but he's really good at battling too. He even surprised me sometimes improvising on the spot just to make a bigger show of himself. He has won me several ribbons before as well."

Xent nodded. "And what about the other one, you said you had two that like you to use in contests?"

"I also like to sometimes to use my arcanine as well. I don't tend to enter him in many contests though, just some lower ranking ones more or less to keep him in shape. He's not really a contest pokemon, but he has still won a few ribbons and I'm proud of him." Sarah smiled lightly as she looked over her pokeballs.

"You see, you still have your pokemon, so things can't be all that bad." Xent nodded. "And I'm sure Thomas will be fine, that doctor is one of the best around. If he's survived this long against those freaks chasing you, I doubt he would just let them take him out like that."

Sarah looked up at him and nodded lightly. "Yea… he's been through worse…" Sarah said recalling the time he had been shot. The doctor has said the poison was meant to kill on its own, just make him sick.

They remained quiet for a few, just as Sarah was about to say something else, a bag fell off the counter and got their attention. "I should really put that stuff away." Xent stated. "We have the room for a week, just sit back and relax, try to get some sleep." He sighed a bit as he got up, they could all use some real sleep after the week of events. He still couldn't believe half of the stuff he had seen as he got the back and picked up what fell out, before putting it all away in the small fridge in the room. It was already late and he just looked outside wondering what he was going to do after he got his answers.

~xXx~

That night…

Thomas is feeling much weaker then before. At one point, he was feeling rather well, if a bit numb and tried to get up to walk around some. The doctor quickly put a stop to that though and had Rebecca help him back to the table just in time for to nearly fall over.

"I feel fine…" He says slowly, a bit dazed and out of it. "I don't know why my body is acting like this." Rebecca whines a bit more as she helps him back to lay down again.

With the poison no longer so badly affecting her as well though, Radara gets in her say, sending more images and thoughts into their heads. Rebecca is able to block all but the worst of them, and has learned not to care, but the doctor, still a bit drunk gets the full force of them like Thomas.

"You know miss espeon. I know your powerful and you can do amazing things. But your giving me a headache. I am getting pissed at these images you're showing me are insane and no I don't what you think of my drinking. I know your inside my mind, do not make me show you that night I had with weavile and houndoom. You might get jealous." He laughs unaware that just mentioning thoughts brought them forward and to Radara attention as she turns a bit red herself.

'_How dare you you fucking quack. I should boil your brain into a pile of mush, I shoul-' _Radara stumbles just a bit as she growled lightly at Thomas who was looking at her, giving her a small taste of her own treatment, a small psychic flick to her head. _'Thomas, what the hell?' _ She growls as both Thomas and Rebecca give her an slightly angry scowl

"Radara, we are here as guests and before you say anything, no it is not the Ritz and you should know by now we are lucky that he hasn't gone to them yet either. We need to make sure that they don't catch us at this moment and you should check on Sarah and Xent to make sure they are okay. Before you say anything else, you need to take some time off, you've got some horrible bedside manner. You need to calm down and quit acting so high and mighty. That other thing we share is making you act like a spoiled brat as of late and while you may blame me for a lot of things, you need to step back and look at yourself and how you're acting every once in a while." Thomas states annoyed, but cleared minded for the most part.

Radara says nothing as Rebecca watches over Thomas. She knows he is right, but she has never left his side when he was in a state like this before, nor had he left her side when the opposite happened. She just remains quiet for a few, thinking that with the doctor there and Rebecca to make sure he didn't try to betray them, she would be able to take a bit of time off. She growls lightly, but turns as she moves towards the door, closing her eyes and easily finding Sarah nearby. "You sure she'll be able to manage on her own?" The doctor states as he was ready to pick up the phone and give Sarah a call to pick up Radara.

She feels just a small bit like she wasn't needed for once, almost feeling a bit jealous at that fact. She shakes her head, no she couldn't be jealous, it wasn't like her to be. And she certainly knew that she wasn't needed, she was paired with Thomas and they would always need each other for something. They were an inseparable pair, brother and sister, even if they didn't have the same body, they both were still born of Arceus and her power.

She looks back at them once more, as she calmed down, she knew the source of some of her tension. Thomas had found someone and after so long, it was hard to not be the only real person he had as true family around. _'I will do as you ask. I will see you soon Thomas.'_ She bows her head and vanishes in a bright light.

The doctor watches her vanish. "Damn, are you some sort of league champion or something with that powerful pokemon?"

Rebecca laughs lightly as she the sweat from Thomas's brow. _'He is the best trainer ever.'_

"You love him don't ya. I heard rumors that lucarios are attached to their trainer, much like those gardevoirs. You know that he don't for the sex, but that he truly loves ya." Rebecca blushes hard at his words, turning away just a bit. "Its good to see such a nice trainer every once in a while, too many I see only enjoy their partners for their power or body. Well, you better eat something yourself, no point to you watching over him if you pass out from starvation yourself." He said once again pointing out the small plate of berries next to her.


	23. Chapter 23

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

_'Character Thought'_

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

~xXx~

Chapter 23

Sarah had spent the better of her last two days off taking care of Thomas's pokemon as well as her own, trying to keep herself from watching too much of the news. She even had Radara help her, setting a password to keep her from accessing the internet through her phone. Despite her urge to call her mother and reassure her that she was okay, as well as call her father to put him in his place about Thomas, she knew that they had to remain hidden. With Thomas only barely starting to recover, they couldn't afford to reveal themselves to the knights right now.

She talked a bit more with Xent when he was there, but mostly Xent was out, Radara tailing him just to make sure that he didn't get into trouble. She wasn't sure she could trust Xent entirely, even though she knew that he wouldn't turn Thomas over. His friends however were her real concern. She didn't invade him mind to yet, she saw to reason too as she just watched him from a far, studying him. Xent didn't seem to go and track anyone down in the time that Radara watched over him, but it was still a partial hassle to keep up at times and she had worn herself out the second day of following him.

Everything was quiet that night as Radara once again arrived before Xent got back and Sarah played it as though she had been there the entire time. They talked a bit more before deciding to pass out, everyone was tired and had a long day.

~xXx~

A lone figure watches from a distance in an alleyway across from the backwater hotel. He stands there shivering a bit, the night was chilled and the man was counting on the rain to help out for later. "Damn Arceus, I could have taken them by now." He grumbled looking over his watch, very bored and rather annoyed. "But noooo, I have to wait for them." He finally feels something nip at his leg and he looks down. A luxray looks back up at him, growling a bit herself not liking him very much. "Oh, she sent you instead I see."

The luxray shakes its head as it speaks. "Lux lu luxray ray!"

"You know it's not my fault you were told to come here. I just work for her as you do and you know it. I don't like waiting anything, especially since that liepard's been around. "She is a wily one. She seems to know a lot about this next mark though, too much if you ask me. She seems to claim that we'll need extra help stopping them. Lucky for us, we have these." He reaches into his coat and pulls out some large black collars, all of them having wires and other bits of circuitry on them. "I don't see what's so special about them though, I've been watching them for a while now. I don't see why we need these extra heavy collars to control them. If you ask me, the regular collars work just fine, pokemon do as their told or else." He smirks as the luxray makes one last comment, its tone conveying its feelings very nicely. "You worry too much." He says as he turns to look down the alleyway, a man and women with a nidoqueen, nidoking, and a hypno. "There they are, about time." He makes circle with his hand over his hand to get their attention and they move over to him as he once again grumbles a bit.

"I said bring your fast one Jill, not overkill." Huffs the man.

"I was going to bring my usual zebstrika and rapidash, but I was told to bring in the big guns by her orders. You know full well you don't tell her no, well anyone but you can't anyway. You really must be good in the bed to be able to do what you want with her." The lady counters.

The man blushes a bit as the luxray and others laugh at his discomfort. "Look you two, we have to this, I'm ready." He looks to the other man. "Did you make sure there was no one around, I don't want those rangers down here too soon, not until we are long gone. You all remember the last group that failed her." All of them, even the pokemon present shiver a bit from the reminder.

It takes a few seconds, but the other man speaks up. "I've had my hypno put the manager into a trance, he'll wake up after we are long gone and it will look like he was into some shady stuff anyway. It should give the police something else to look at. According to my rufflet tells my hypno, it looks like most of their pokemon with the exception of one are all in their pokeballs and stored away, so they shouldn't put up much of a fight. If we strike now, we should be able to get in and get out just like that."

"Good Ted, you come I after Jill's pokemon come through, both sides of the room. You will follow my luxray and make sure they don't try to escape. I know this is shadowy, but we have little choice but to take them surprise. If they are aware of the hypno, they'll likely resist. I was told that we should expect at least two league level pokemon from them and that they can outlast nearly everyone they come across. Personally I don't think it's worth the effort, I've never heard of them, but she wants this done fast." They take their positions as soon as he is done talking. Still, he can't help but look a bit worried. He knew this was different from all the others they had taken. Most of the people they took were high end trainers that came from rich families, but they always had the advantage, they knew exactly what they were getting into and could plan accordingly. Some were taken just for the money, others were taken to knock them down and destroy them, but either way, the tournament got its cash and would bring in more viewers. The more viewers there were, the more people that began to bet on the matches and things only got better for them.

He peeks in through the window quickly as he moves past one of the windows as he starts thinking. He's never once heard of these trainers, they have obviously don't have money, so he can't see why they would bother with them. The only reason they were even there was because that unusual liepard that contacted them. The only possible thing he could think of that might give them some profit would be their pokemon, which they sold off regularly during the tournaments. The winners earned the right to try and win their freedom, the losers lost it all, stripped of everything, their pokemon and gear sold, or given out as prizes. Of course the tournament had some walk ins as well, but in the end, the only one who really won was the house.

His luxray nips at his leg again, bringing him out of his trance. "Ow… sorry." He rubs his leg. "I'm just still trying to figure out if I made the right choice by bringing her into all of this and letting her run it. I love her more then anything, yet I don't know any more… I want her back as she was before all of this." The luxray gives him a look that says it too late now. He knows it, but still the linger of sorrow remains, doing this to trainers who don't seem to be that good, most of them were there because they had rich families.

He couldn't help but at least hope that this new mark put on a good show just so they could throw them back out. Usually he didn't care about such things, but from he knew, these were normal people with nothing to give. He couldn't help but blame that liepard for changing things so much.

He signals Jill, she merely nods and then give a command to her pokemon.

-x-

Xent gets up to get some ice as he was complaining that they should have picked a better hotel since this one was rather poor. He even had to wonder if anything in the vending machines wasn't expired by now. As he reached the door, he was going to ask if they should get something ordered in, but felt something wrong. He went for his pokeballs, only to realize that they were in his bag. He goes to say something, but is too late as the walls leading collapse. Sarah doesn't so much as scream, but yelps out in shock as she suddenly has to defend herself. She goes for her own pokeballs on the desk, but has to duck back, the nidoking that was after her not using his horns or claws, trying to back hand her and toss her around.

Xent rushes to his bag to get his pokeballs, or even one of his crowbars, but is greeted first by the nidoqueen's leg, having kicked him clear across the room and into what was left of one of the walls. He yells out in pain, grabbing his side as collapses, trying to stand but can't. He sees Radara finally out and can't help but think that they still have a chance.

Sarah cried out seeing Xent get tossed trying to go help him, but she is cut off once more, this time by a hypno, already waving its pendulum coin back and forth in front of her. She tries to fight it as Xent calls out to her, but she was already on her knees, a few seconds later she was out.

Radara is finally out of the covers she had buried herself under, but is still shaking her head, a nasty bout of dizziness had come over her, no doubt Thomas was once again taking some sort of medication to help him and their link shared the side effects. She goes to attack, but finds her powers rather weaken and misses the fact of the luxray until its too late and she gets tackled. She snaps at the luxray, who replies with its own electrical attack.

Xent tries to get up to help her once more, but with the pain he was in, he couldn't move, merely grabbing his side once more wondering if he may have cracked a rib or something as a man comes up to him. "You should save that strength for what is to come." The man just pushes Xent completely onto the ground as the hypno takes care of him putting him out as well.

Radara sees that both Xent and Sarah have fallen and tries to open their pokeballs herself, but is once again tackled, whatever was making her so dizzy was only making things hard on her, she couldn't keep up with the luxray and using her psychic abilities at the same time. She was so busy focusing on the luxray though, she misses the nidoqueen behind her, the last thing Radara can recall is just a things going to dark and a massive pain on the back of her head.

~xXx~

Radara wakes up slowly, still in pain feeling some of the lingering effects from the luxray's electrical attacks as well as massive headache. She growls just thinking about what all she was going to do to that luxray once she finds it. She looks around, wondering where she is, quickly spotting Sarah in the small room. Sarah is unconscious, but otherwise looks fine. Radara breathes a small sigh of relief, things could have been so much worse. She goes to try and use her powers and search for other minds, but nothing happens. She stops for a second, catches her breathe, collects her thoughts and tries once more, but still nothing happen.

'_I would stop before you burn out the brain cells you have wondering why you can't do anything Radara.'_ A voice states and she quickly turns to see the liepard. She instantly goes to lash out with everything she could, but the room remains quiet.

'_As I said, it will not work. You are at their mercy so to say. I am a bit mad that you and your… partner did manage to stop my fun, but I still have other devices. I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun just as soon as the next one is integrated into… well let's just say that you will be hard pressed to stop it next time. For it will be where all pokemon and trainers feel at ease. Don't worry, you will know what loss is soon as I have Radara. You and Soular will know that loss to each other. You could have saved her, but you just hid instead of being there for her. I will take all that you care for. I will take the lucario from him and then at his weakest, I will kill him before you and then you both will know that you have failed.' _The liepard just mocks Radara, sitting back, not even bothering to defend herself.

Radara continues to look over the room, trying to figure out what was going on. Thomas was still weak, but he still had Rebecca to defend him. If Thomas was recovering at all though, she knew that the two of them could easily hold their own. She quickly tries to contact Thomas, but even that was somehow quiet leaving her stunned. They pair at birth, a unique link that was suppose to be unbreakable between watcher and partner, a way for the them to always find and talk with each other, even over great distances.

'_That link of yours, I can assure you that its useless here. It took me a while, but at last I've figured out how to block it. Of course, its not easy and taking up a large sum of my power, but I can't have you go and cry out for help. Don't worry though, you'll be able to use you other abilities, when they let you. He can't help you however. I wonder how long you have here though. I know they tend to put the rookies through the ringer here. Still, it will be fun to see how you fight. I promise that these battles are nothing like you've ever fought before. You are strong, but how long will you last.'_ Radara is finally over her shock, growling as she actually readies her claws for once and goes to tackle the liepard. Her mind was powerful, but even without it, she was still a powerful mon and she had taken down foes the hard way before.

She goes to charge at the liepard, but is tackled herself, by a human of all things. She gets up slowly looking at him, wondering how the hell she had missed him, then she sees the shadows clinging to him a bit and recognizes him as the man the liepard had been with at the park. He walks over to the liepard and she nuzzles him a little playfully.

'_Do you like my toy? He is so willing to make me happy and make sure no harm comes to me. It's so much easier to move around with him carrying me around. No one asks any more questions as long as he is around. You could say that he is my new partner, but he is more of a tool, a sex tool that is. He is so good in bed and willing to please me. I don't know why so many humans look down on human and pokemon mating, its so fun. Well, I will see you later Radara. I do hope you and Soular try to stop me, I want so badly to make you all suffer, even that blasted alakazam. He truly believes you will love him. You know he is the only who really pushed our lord to give you a reprieve to make a decision and join us. He loves you so much its disgusting. If it was up to me, I would have killed you long ago. Neither of you deserves anything. Nor do either of you deserve her love as the rest of us were cast out and left for dead despite our calling for her help. We are leaving my pet.' _The liepard's voice, normally calm quickly changed to angry towards the end of her speech as the human lets her leap into his arms and walks out.

Radara would have tried to make a break for it and find out how to get her powers back, but what the liepard said was weighing heavily on her mind. _'Was… was she … talking about Arceus… but no, the others had all died.'_ She looked around in great confusion. Watchers were pairs of children, twins in a sense. When one died, the other began to lose their power, and most importantly their ability to reincarnate. There was no way another of them could still be alive, they were the last of, the rest of the watchers had been killed well over two hundred years ago. Even if liepard was paired with a watcher, they only lived a set 120 year life-span, too short for the any of the watchers or their partners to still be alive. She was interrupted when the door opened up once more. She quickly banished those thoughts for now, there were more importantly things to worry. She searched her mind for any power that she could possibly muster up, but it was useless for now, she couldn't help but feel empty, as if part of her just taken away. She finally feels the collar around her neck as the another man walks in with a granbull.

The man merely ignored her while the granbull made sure she wouldn't attack its trainer. He moves over to Sarah who was still laying back. He goes to wake her, only for her to get up and try to attack him. The man just smirked as he was ready and caught her arm, before striking her in the side with his free arm and pushed her back against the wall. "I have seen through so many tricks already. I knew you weren't sleeping. Now if you're done fooling around, you should get ready. You, your pokemon and this one all have a match in a few." He tosses her a pokeball which she recognizes as one of her own. "You will be warriors for the battle to come. Make sure you do well, the better you fight the more chances you'll have for food and maybe even get a chance to earn your freedom. Now get up and follow me." He commands as he turns to leave.

Sarah looks at the pokeball she was tossed. "Where am I, where are my pokemon?" She snaps at him. "And where is Xent. Why have you brought us here."

The man smiles as he turns back to face her. "You're the first to really act like that, most are too scared or willing to try to pay me for my trouble… if I let them go. You are here to make us money. To fight for their pleasure. You will battle alongside your pokemon in a way you never have before. You see little girl, you're the target here, your pokemon are your weapons and shields. You see, the fight will go on until you take out your opponent by any means necessary." He motions for Sarah to follow him as the granbull tells Radara the same.

(You better watch it asshole, just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I can't kick your sorry ass.) Radara snaps at him, forced to use her actual voice for once.

(Sure sweetie, I have heard that before, if you're good I'll ask my boss to let your trainer go and I'll keep you as compensation.) The granbull chuckles.

(I'll die before that happens asshole.) Radara growls at him as Sarah looks down at her surprised to hear her speak with her normal voice. Radara felt a bit weird herself to speak in such a way herself after so long. She felt more comfortable using her mind when she was an espeon, even if she was proud of her voice none the less. Now without her powers though, she knows that they are in some serious trouble. Until she could figure out how to remove the collar, she would have to put up with whatever they threw at her.

As they walk with the man and his granbull though, Radara keeps trying to figure out where they were, definitely underground, but where. Once her collar was off though, she could do as she wanted, get their stuff, their pokemon and even Xent out of there.

She shook her head wondering how she could be so absent minded when they were attacked. She knew that she wasn't feeling well, but she should have been able to push those effects away long enough to win that fight. She had been thinking of what kind of mate she wanted herself when the attack happened, but was she really dwelling on that much, was she really feeling that lonely that it was going to be such a large distraction. She had always berated Thomas over not having someone to keep him grounded and now here she was thinking about how empty she was. With her mind so quiet, she couldn't help but feel so lonely for once.

She fails to notice that they are finally at the area, where both her and Sarah are pushed in rather roughly. They both look around as a light finally lights up the area, a spot light focused on them for now.

"It's simple folks, all you have to do take out the other trainer and you win." The man explains. "Just so you know, this is a freedom match, one of our lucky contestants has earned the right to go free tonight if he wins, so watch out. Also, don't fall off the edge. Those lovely collars around your necks are programmed to activate and kill the trainer if their pokemon happen to fallen, while the poor pokemon will have to contend with the rapids below."

Both Radara and Sarah have to take a quick step back as the part of the arena they were slowly dropped down. A good ten feet worth of room around the edges of the arena opened up to reveal some very old water ways below the, no doubt some very old sections of sewer. Radara could tell that they were probably the oldest part of the city, and poorly taken care of as water rushed through the torn up passages below them. The only remaining platform off of the arena was just a walkway, but the door it lead to was still closed.

Looking up, the could see more modern pipes and other things around, but it could hardly tell them how far underground they were or where they were. Without proper knowledge, even if they did escape, they were still stuck in a maze.

A female voice over a loudspeaker reminds them that they have bigger things to worry about. "Greetings warriors. I bid you welcome. Your audience awaits your coming battle. You know the rules, defeat the human trainer and win. What you win will depend on the wheel of hope. Our first contender is a 9 time winner on the verge of winning freedom. He is from the Hoenn region with his scyther and crobat, he has made this far and looks eager to take down anyone who stands in his way." The voice pauses as the other other door finally opened and a trainer with the two pokemon made their way out to the arena, before the door closed and the walk way was lowered. "Today his opponent is a mysterious trainer with an espeon and pokemon that has yet to be released. She will fight to survive as our champion Joe has been most merciless against his previous opponents." The large screen on the side of the arena changed to display a few of Joe's previous victories, he was brutal, not holding back as he torn his opponents to shreds, cries of mercy falling on deaf ears.

Both Sarah and Radara have to advert their eyes from the gore and blood that Joe smiled at. "Now my audience, the odds have been given. Place your wagers and the battle begins in 20 seconds." The screen changed once more, this time showing in image of both Sarah and Joe, along with a set of odds for them, showing very little faith in Sarah.

Radara hears Sarah say something about pain as she pulls searched herself to see what she still had, surprised to see that they had left her the kubotans. At least they had a chance, but Sarah knew that she had never been taught to fight pokemon directly, just defend herself against the knights.

In the last few seconds, Radara feels her power suddenly come back. She thinks about teleporting out with Sarah, but where would she teleport. She has no idea where they are and blind teleports rarely ever ended well, there were just too many things that could go wrong.

Radara doesn't have much time to think though, as the buzzer rings and the match starts, their foe was already on Sarah. Just as fast as they charged, she threw up her own barrier. _'So much for fair play…'_ She grumbles as both of them dash back a bit and Radara goes on the offensive.

She quickly lashes out at the scyther with a psychic blast, only holding back so much, blasting him back a fair bit. The crobat is startled by the sudden attack, as he pauses his attack on Sarah and flies back to defend its trainer. _'Prepare yourself, this will not be an easy fight. I am still not at my best.' _Radara stated.

Sarah finally recovers herself and throws her pokeball into the air, releasing her meinshao who gets ready for a fight.

"Don't fall, stay near me and make sure they don't get close. Do you understand, do not engage them, Radara will take of that." Sarah explains as she readies herself. She knew that this was going to be as bad as fighting the knights, their lives were at stake once more, but this time, it was merely for the amusement for others. She advanced forward a bit, even a partial hit from that scyther would be enough to knock her off the edge if Radara didn't defend her fast enough.

She gave her meinshao another look over, he didn't seem to have the same collar that Radara was wearing, or that she was herself. She thought about having him just save himself and get out of there, but she didn't know just how bad the currents in those broken waterways were down there. She gave up that idea though, and decided to return her focus back to the fight.

Radara could hear Sarah's thoughts, glad that she decided against having her meinshao take his chances below. She kept trying to watch the scyther, but it was fast, very fast as Radara tried to hit it with a psychic slash, but it was too fast. Thankfully Sarah's meinshao was able to intercept it.

Meinshao grabbed scyther's arms with one of his fur sleeves and pulled it close for an attack, neither pokemon seeming to be interested in anything else then taking the other out now. Fresh blood once again lands on the make shift metal arena as the scyther does its best to kill the meinshao, while the meinshao avoids the worst of it, but is unable to land any solid blows in return, even if it managed a few bites to his foe.

Radara continued to attempt to attack the other trainer, trying to merely put him sleep to as he kept his distance, looking for an opening, yelling at his pokemon to make an opening for him to attack Sarah directly. The crobat was doing a fine job of keeping Radara busy though, using one set of wings to cover its eyes to avoid her gaze while constantly attacking her with gusts and trying to confuse her with his supersonic.

Radara couldn't help but grow angry. She wanted to the fight, and without her link to Thomas, and sharing his sickness her power was coming back quite well. She could easily defeat all of their foes in one swift mighty blow, but she didn't want to do that. She knew that like herself, Sarah and her meinshao, they were fighting against their will, merely doing what had to be to save themselves. She only wanted to knock them out, not outright kill them as she held herself back.

As her strength returned, she managed to keep a better barrier around Sarah as well as attack more frequently. She could have easily of merely knocked the trainer back and off the platform, but that would surely kill him. Still, what weaker attacks she went his way seemed ineffective as though they weren't even effecting him. She had to wonder if maybe he was protected and smiled as she was finally able strong enough to completely grab and hold the crobat.

Her eyes and gem flashed as she launched the crobat first back behind its trainer, then plowed into his head from behind. The trainer was slammed forward, hitting his head roughly and knocked out, along with his crobat before Radara could turn and face the scyther. She quickly dealt with scyther in a similar manner, a single powerful strike to knock it out before throwing it over to join its trainer.

She smiled, only to growl, as soon as the match was over, her powers were once again somehow shut off, gone and that empty feeling once again took over. The sides to the arena returned to their normal settings, closing up access to the waterways below as the doors opened. The man with the granbull once again came out and checked on the unconscious trainer, before nodding. A few men come out and take the losers away.

"Where are you taking him?" Sarah asks holding herself back, and grabbing her meinshoo to do the same.

"His pokemon are going to be confiscated and he will be dealt with." The man responds. "Now back your cell." He smirks. Radara growled once more, loudly this time as the man's attitude and words send an angry shiver down her spine, but she is powerless right now seeing more men and pokemon through the door on the other side of the arena. It was nothing but an aggravation to her without her powers, she couldn't do much, not even talk with Sarah, while she easily understood the simple things her pokemon would get her attention for, she couldn't actually understand them too well other wise.

She could only pray that they were being lead back to the cell and given food and water until Thomas figured out where they were. Hopefully they could handle things until then. She knew that she was in no condition with her powers under someone else's control to do much of anything. Even if she removed her collar, she was sure that it would have consequences and she didn't want to risk them unless she somehow found out more about the collars and how they worked.

~xXx~

A lone figure walks up to the doors of the control for the arena. The guard is about to stop him, but then sees who it is as they walk into the light. "Man, she is in a bad mood, those kids you got this time… the girl already won. That espeon of hers is definitely a league level pokemon. Also the boy… just the fight, its on right now. I walked out before she turned on me. Maybe you can calm her down, Alex." The guard stated and let him in.

Alex just nodded and walked into the room, several things had already been knocked over and most of the pillows destroyed. He looks down to the other end of the room where the monitors and control board is. Xent was having his fight with his flareon and zoroark. Xent himself was standing over a badly beaten trainer with his pokemon holding the other pokemon in place, some visible wounds on all of them as Xent yells out in a challenge, daring anyone else to come after him. Before he could really get a good look though, a shadow ball blows up the monitor he was looking at.

"You do realize that your paying for that this time and don't look at me like that. I didn't blow it up or make you do that. I told you not to listen to that liepard. She was nothing but trouble, but you had to do that and take her money. I told you they would only be trouble." Alex stated as an angry looking absol turned to him.

"I know you did, but I didn't think they would be this good. I always thought that it would be good for the ratings. Though for them to be this strong. I will make sure I rake them for they are worth." The absol states in a feminine, but still deep voice. She smiles as a bit as she moves to the only set of pillows to escape her wrath. She calms down a bit as she lays downs. "Please hold me like you always do, it makes me feel so much better." She lays on her back and playfully bats her paws in the air. Alex sighs as he was always weak to her needs.

He walks over and sits next to her on the pillows as he picks her up and cradles her in his arms. He begins to nuzzle her side lightly as she purrs loudly. She uses her forepaws as best she could to give him an awkward hug of sorts as he whispers something in her ear that just makes her smile so very much before they share a kiss.

~xXx~

Xent is thrown back into his cell, the threat of his other pokemon being raped and killed with Zia and Pyra already injured from their previous fight all that keeps him in check. Zai and Pyra were both restrained as well as they were tossed back into the cell after him. Neither one could use their powers, their collars having already proven that they can defend themselves as needed. Xent still tries to make it back to the cell door but it is closed before he can get out, all he can do and kick at it and shout at the guards.

"Fucking assholes." He shouts out one last time before moving and looking his pokemon over. Both of them had lost some fur, and had some bruises, but only Zia seemed to have anything major done, a moderate cut on her one side. He tries to clean out her wound as best he can with the limited water he has, tearing off a section of his shirt to use as wash rag for now. He uses as little of the water as he can get away with, not sure if they'll be able to get anymore anytime soon.

Zia does her best to stay still as he clean her wound, but still winces a bit from pain of her wounds. She still does her best not to lash out at him as she had done in the past as a zorua. Some trainers would abuse their pokemon, even beat them if they lashed out at them, but Xent always put up with her. She was still angry though from everything that was going on. This abduction was rough, but if that last fight was any clue, they would dominate anything thrown their way, she wasn't even sure it could be called a real fight, just anger management.

She knew what was really bugging her though, why she was really looking to take her anger out on something. Ever since Xent had met up with the boy Thomas and that female human he traveled with, he had been acting like a fool as if he was trying to court her. Yet she couldn't figure out why upset her so much before now, yet seeing that girl even at the time they were at the park trying to stop that trunk, she felt that Xent was still trying to impress her. That was part of the reason she had charged in the first place, to show that she was better warrior then the female.

It still irks her that he was still infatuated with the girl though. Could it be that she… that human named Thomas had a lucario as a mate. She had found out from the other pokemon that traveled with Thomas. They told her that the lucario loved him her human trainer and he had accepted her feelings. Though they did say that he was different then any other human. It made little sense to Zai at first, until she saw his powers in proper use. Those abilities of his, they were most definitely not human, but something more like that of a pokemon. Was he part human and part pokemon, something else entirely. Thinking about how they were together slowly got Zia thinking about maybe Xent could see her the same way, that maybe he was what she really wanted. She looks down and Xent had cleaned and wrapped her wound and was not working with Pyra, fixing the knots in her fur as she murred happily. She found herself wishing that maybe he would do that with her sometime.

~xXx~

The next day passed with little interruption at all as Thomas began to slowly worry. He was awake for now in the middle of the night and he looked around unable to see Radara. He knew that he told her to leave him alone for a while, but it wasn't like her to not check up on him and just entirely leave him alone. At first he thought that his own sickness was worse then he though and that she was feeling just as bad, but as he calmed himself and felt over his body. He was sure that he was recovering nicely, he could feel his power slowly pulsing again in his body, able to feels his muscles and everything else even if it was rather weak.

As he continues to give himself is own style of mental checkup, he quickly realizes that something isn't there, he couldn't feel Radara. He begins to worry a bit, that alakazam had once cut them off from each other, but he was promised that he would have time to make his decision, they wouldn't be here would they? He looks to Rebecca who was sleeping on him and gently moves her so that he can get up. As he steps down off the table, he nearly falls over, the IV drip he was on completely slipped past him. He picks up and moves it carefully, glad that its oiled wheels don't make any noise.

He was sure that liepard was acting on her own, she had said it once before that it was all for her amusement, and it seems that everything happening in concerning her was part of some revenge she wanted. Even the obstacles that she put in his way was nothing more then a game, something for her to enjoy. Still, he couldn't help but feel that maybe she was holding some sort of grudge against himself and Radara. He couldn't figure it out as he got up and moved around a bit.

Though he felt better with his powers slowly returning, not all of his abilities were ready for use again as his body focuses on healing itself and removing the poison. Rebecca was still fast asleep as Thomas smiled a bit, glad to see her sleeping so easy. She seemed so peaceful right now, compared to how hard she was constantly working to help take care of him over the past few days. She had really worked just for him, not sleeping much, not paying attention to her own needs. He moved slowly seeing a light behind him and let her rest as he went to check up on something.

He went to look for the doctor as he headed for the room with the light. He walks into the room and sees the doctor sitting back at a table. The doctor is quick to see him, and goes to close his laptop, but not fast and Thomas still gets a good view of the screen.

Thomas looks at the screen as he watches a pokemon battle, but not like regulation battles. Instead the trainer was working with their pokemon, fighting as a team against another team. It had been generations of his own kind that he had last since seen battles like this. Of course, back then it was a battle to the death, something he always frowned upon.

"In this day and age, this type of battle still exist. It pains me to see there are still those who still fight like that. That their are also people who enjoy this." He gives the doctor a dark look as well.

The doctor looks away. "Its not like there is anything on TV right now. Still, at least I don't bet on it, like so many do. Also, this is one of the more controlled ones." Thomas gives him a confused look as a referee of some sort stops the fight just long enough to declare that the most recent wound was non-fatal, despite the blood. "There are more violent ones than this. This one I am watching is out of Johto. It is done by a group who mostly get off on this, but they have rules. Still, its mostly ex-trainers and those who have criminals records who fight there. For a quick buck most of the time. There are ones who grab anyone off the streets though, make them fight like the gladiators of old. The most popular one is this newer one that's been kidnapping kids off the streets and making them with promises of freedom. Some of them foolishly decide to stay and fight for more, for money even. Of course the place rarely loses and many lose everything." He looks up as Thomas watches the fight. "Still, why are up so late? I told you need some rest."

"I am worried about my friends and my espeon. Its… unlike her to check up on me, she helped raise me in a way." Thomas says trying to make a good excuse.

The doctor laughs a bit as he gets up. "You are close to your pokemon, that's good. As I said many who come here don't care much about anything. Still, I haven't seen your espeon all day myself and she seemed to just let herself in at least twice already. You lucario kept her out of my way. Of course the hotel isn't too far and I could…" He stops as a blue light catches his eye and he raises his hand. "Be right back okay." He walks off and moves to the door letting someone in and moving them to a side room. Thomas watches the match on the laptop for a few, one of the trainers actually took down a hitmonlee by himself. He stands victorious as his opponent nods, grumbles a bit, but the admits the match is over. He shakes his head a bit watching them and the guy getting his pay, unable to think about how people just give into their dark urges like that.

Thomas turns to see the doctor dealing with another patient with a rather large gash on his arm. It obvious to see that the new patient is just some hoodlum. "Damn police and their pokemon, almost got away with that new equipment. Still, have you heard about the Marshall Hotel? IT was some attack by Team Rocket of all people so they say. They found a partial ripped uniform and some trainers were kidnapped. They even think that the owner of the joint is in custody, they found a full uniform on him. The police thing he had something to do with it and its all crazy. If I could, could I crash here doc? I can pay, don't worry. I know you're good on keeping quiet."

The doctor nods as he keeps up work. "Look, just stay here and don't go wandering. I've got another patient and his lucario seems a bit on the protective side. Its just best that you don't disturb them." He states after he finishes with the cut on his arm. He turns and goes to find Thomas again, but notices that him and his lucario are nowhere to be seen. He quickly spots a note on the bed.

_**Doctor**_

_**Thank you for your help. I will try not to push it, but my friends might be at the hotel I heard was attacked. I need to find out if they are ok. If they are, I will return. Otherwise I thank you in advance for all your help. **_

_**Thomas**_

The doctor has to laugh at the note, knowing even if had tried to stop him, Thomas wouldn't listen to him. He was a young man who was always moving forward and cared for those close to him. He could tell that Thomas was a bit hard headed as well. He merely hoped that Thomas wouldn't get into too much trouble and that it was just worry about his friends, that they weren't in any danger. Still, he looked to the phone for a few before deciding to make a call. He might just be able to help the man out even now.


	24. Chapter 24

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

_'Character Thought'_

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

Beta-Reader: Asklor

You can once again thank Catsithx for this chapter, as he wrote it, I just liked the way it fit in.

~Warning~

This chapter contains scene of rape and violent deaths if it disturbs or you don't like it please do not read any further. Otherwise enjoy the story. Thank you for reading.

~xXx~

Chapter 24

After being roused by Thomas, Rebecca's thoughts became filled with worry. She was told they were leaving very soon, despite the fact that Thomas looked weak but his determination seemed to be stronger than his fatigue. Curious as to why Thomas was acting this way, she used her Aura Sight to check his aura, only to find it a mixture of both anger, and sadness. Yet she couldn't figure out why. She finally found out after much persistence that he had lost contact with Radara.

He explained to her that his first conclusion was the fact she was angry at him, but even then he always felt something, now, he felt nothing. Thomas prayed that Radara was alright, but it was very unnerving for Rebecca to see him like this.

As they approached the hotel where Radara had told them she was going to be, she noticed aura signatures inside it, most of them agitated. She grabbed Thomas to stop him from going any further. He gave her an annoyed; her action had caused them to make a scene with the many people that had gathered at the hotel.

Thomas only became more distressed, Rebecca was able to tell due to the change in his aura. He still managed to keep his composure though, he needed to keep as low of a profile as possible, the last thing they needed were the knights finding them again. In the condition he was in, he couldn't fight the knights since all of his gear and pokemon were with Sarah.

As Rebecca looked out for anything that could be a problem, he had done his usual disappearing act and started asking questions while blending in with the crowd. Various people stated that a group of people had fought with a group of wild, rampaging pokemon like the ones who ruined the city a few days ago. One that was the most concerning stories however was that a couple of people had been kidnapped in the process.

-x-

That one story that stood out to Thomas the most. Xent and Sarah would not go quietly, and Radara alone would not allow them to be taken easily. A team could not have beaten them so easily, let alone Radara who could take on the Elite 4 of any region and without much help either. Though even if she did get overpowered, she would have been able to escape somehow. Still, where were they? Even if Radara was unconscious, he should have been able to feel her. This troubled him greatly, she must have been restrained somehow and their link was cut. He could only think of how to Alakazam did the same a while back. He said a silent prayer for her safety, but while doing so someone grabbed his arm and started to pull him away from the crowd. His first thought was to resist, but from how the ranger looked, he had been through quite a bit recently. He looked weathered, his hair was a shade of dark brown with streaks of dark grey, showing his age. His uniform was a bit messy, yet he had a hawk like feature about him.

The last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene so he went along, Rebecca seemed to be following them from a safe distance. She was waiting for the right chance to grab Thomas without causing alarm. Thomas went along with it as smoothly as possible, waiting for the right moment to make his move. As they made their way into an alley, Thomas's first thought was that he was a knight.

"Alright boy, you look like the guy the doc described…" He stopped before tossing a pokeball into the air. Rebecca quickly descended from the rooftop. A swank appeared from the pokeball and tackled her in the air. Both began fighting for control before the ranger yelled "Submission!"

Thomas had also told her through their aura link to escape from the swank. She drew her head back and slammed her head against him and got free of the karate like pokémon's grip. She rolls away as soon as she hits the ground, already having an aura sphere up for an attack.

The swank is soon recalled by the ranger. "That's enough I think. He was right though, you are good. Not a lot of pokémon can get free from Greg like that. For someone to be able to command their pokémon like that without using speech, very impressive. I can only guess that you have some sort of link or you're psychic. You must be league level at the least. I'm here to help you, so to speak. My name is Ken I am a Ranger, so I do work within the law. But I do get favors from time to time for looking the other way, and you should know by now the world isn't all black and white." He said in a gruff voice, crossing his arms.

"I do what I can to get by, as I am sure you do the same. Now believe me I do recognize ya, you're the one all over the internet. The doc told me about you and the fact that you were definitely on the run from something. I have a few friends who are conspiracy theorists and right now, you're the biggest thing. Now follow me." He said, motioning them to follow.

Rebecca was still angry about having been attacked like that. "Look I'm sorry for that, I just wanted to be sure that you are what the doc said you are. Most of have made this out to be the work of a Team or a pokémon battle gone wrong. My conspiracy friends say otherwise, saying that it's the work of an underground organization. They've been kidnapping other people around town as well, but the higher ups keep saying it was the work of a Team. Ever since they've been saying that, I'm pretty sure they're being bribed or blackmailed so that they can keep the spotlight off them. There was a recent video feed of a girl with a mienshao and a very powerful espeon, and after the doc said you had a powerful espeon that was at least league level, so I made the connection that it was possibly yours. I just need you to tell me if I'm right or not."

Thomas wants his answers, but another question takes priority. "Why don't you stop this? If you know about it and are a Ranger, why don't you do something about it?"

"It's more complicated than that. They broadcast on a secure line, making it hard to find out where they are exactly, all we know is they're most likely underground. But it could be anywhere that's out of sight. Then there are the higher ups saying it's the work of a Team when there is no evidence showing a connection between it and a Team."

"Why do you think it's an underground group? You seem to be the minority."

He sighed and shook his head at Thomas. "My belief comes from the fact that the higher ups are being asked to look the other way. I have no definitive proof but everyone who asks question keeps getting moved to desk jobs so they can't investigate any further. The only reason why I'm able to stay on the job is because I've made a good name for myself and have a high case closed rate. Still, it's getting harder to do my job because I keep hitting roadblocks at every turn. So I've had to work outside the law to get what I want. We've also been told to keep a look out for you, since you're practically the most wanted man, especially by the science division. That viral video on the net has caused quite a stir around the world."

Thomas had always been fearful of this, when someone figured out he was more than a human or possibly not a human at all. If this man was a knight, he would have backup and yet, something was off. Thomas knew that this man knew something of him, and thought it might be better to explain a bit of what he was if it would help get Radara and the others back. He dismissed that thought for now though, deciding to see how much this man really knew first and how far his help might take him. "For now, I can't explain much. But I can tell you I'm not out to ruin the world, only to help it."

The ranger had to laugh a bit at that. "I've gathered that much from the reports on you. Don't look so surprised lad, I have records of your work around here in Unova, saving that city was a real nice piece of work, I'm sure. Of course, that's the latest problem you've solved isn't it, there are rumors of your involvement all over the place if you know how to look. What you don't seem to realize is that you have quite a fan base around ya. A lot of people say you are good but tend to keep in the shadows…for reasons they do not yet know. That's not a bad thing, but in this new age of technology that's pretty hard to achieve, you won't be able to keep in the shadows for long. People these days need something to believe and have hope in. The church does little help due to the fact that practically everything a trainer does, they say is wrong. If Arceus didn't want humans and pokemon together, he would have made it pretty clear long ago." He soon stops before a building, it clearly having seen better days. It was mostly likely a part of the old town before it became surrounded by the city. The ranger didn't wait for Thomas, knowing he would follow regardless.

Thomas was still having doubts as he followed. He didn't want to help but with his weapon gone and Rebecca becoming the only pokemon he had, what choice did he have? What only made it worse was the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he could not feel Radara's presence in the slightest. He quietly followed the ranger to the elevator before they were lifted up to the next floor. When the doors opened, he saw many computers and multiple shelves filled with books. Only adding to the messy set up were papers strewn across the floor as well as many monitors showing news channel and other videos. The ranger brings a woman over, she stumbles a bit though. When she looked up at Thomas there were bags under her eyes due to lack of sleep.

The ranger held out his hand to Thomas while facing the woman. "I'm pretty sure you know Thomas, the internet celebrity. Do not tell anyone else of him yet, his lucario is rather…touchy about that." He chuckled while Rebecca gave him a glare, her eyes glowing just a bit red with her anger. Thomas tries to calm her down, not wanting a fight right now since this could be a lead to finding the rest of their group.

The woman reached a hand out and shakes Thomas's arm rapidly. "It's an honor to meet you…finally." She yawned, her fatigue getting the better of her. "Please come over here." She said, leading him over to a set of chairs. "The name is Amy and I'm… a hacker, I work for Ken here. He caught me a while ago for…well something I'd rather not say, but instead of jail, I work here and have more freedom than I ever would in prison. We're basically doing community service for him and the rangers."

Ken looks at Thomas who looked a bit confused from all this. "You see, the law can't go places or do certain things. So, I asked the extended branch here to look for clues that we could never find on our own. Though one of the few things that brings them all together is conspiracy theories. A good amount of them are looking into things that are unknown, unexplained or both. And right now, you are the biggest topic right now. But now isn't the time for that. Amy what info have you found out about those underground battles I told you to look into?" he asked

Amy is still looking at Thomas with a fascinated look, trying to find out anything that would explain why he was so different from normal humans. She is quickly brought out of her 'trance' by a growl from Rebecca, who looks as if she is ready to take a big bite out of her. Thomas quickly calms her down before anything like that can happen.

Ken laughed a bit and smiled "I think you'd better tell us what ya know before the lucario decides to have you for lunch."

Amy hurries to her laptop and motions them all to come over, pulling up a window to show a fight from earlier. Thomas could instantly tell who it was when the video started playing.

It was Sarah, her mienshao and Radara.

Thomas stands up quickly before wobbling a bit, becoming a little light headed. Rebecca is quick to help and stabilize him before he falls down. He focuses on the frozen image of them before looking at Amy. "If you can see them fight why can't you find out where they are with all the gear you have here!?" He asked in a rather impatient tone, motioning to all the computers scattered about.

Amy gave a sad sigh, shaking her head "I wish we could, we've been at it for weeks. The thing is they keep bouncing off multiple satellite feeds while masking their signal. They're always a step ahead, and the fact that the other Rangers are trying to catch us isn't helping one bit." She said while giving an angry glare at Ken.

He sighed. "I'm doing my best, but with 75% of the of our force unaware of our operation, it's pretty hard to keep them off your tail. How are the others doing?" He asked.

"We're doing our best, but as I said their signal is a real piece of work to track, but Rob is always watching. If anyone can find a clue, it's him."

Thomas sees a short bit of Xent fighting, quite surprised at the fact that he holds up as well as he is. For his age, he's got good fighting instinct. "So there's no definite way to find them?"

Amy smiles a bit "Not at this time. If we could get more power, we'd have a better chance. Though they have some sort of virus among other things that prevent us from getting a good lock on their signal. As soon as we try and track them, it attacks us with a hell of a force, it's fried a couple of our computers and put others on the sidelines where we need to repair them. From what I can tell though, they have a porygon doing this, because I've only seen this kind of thing whenever it involves that pokemon. The only clue we have is the fact that they are here because the pokemon we see here in battle are mostly local. The one that stood out to us the most was that espeon, she practically fights her own battles while the trainer and mienshao cover anything she misses." She said, pulling up another fight with Radara, Sarah and the mienshao in it. They fought another female trainer and her two pokemon, but it could hardly be considered a battle. It was less than a minute before they won.

Thomas rose to his feet, a cold sweat beading down his forehead. The sense of helplessness he feels is extremely overwhelming as he points to the screen. "Why can't you find them!?"

Amy shrank back a bit. "I-I told you already, they have equipment and techniques that we can't compete with."

Ken put a hand on Thomas's shoulder "Look, we're trying the best we can here. But with things as they are, we need more time. With everything going against us, we have to be careful on how we proceed, otherwise we could get caught and everything we worked for goes down the drain…. So you have to be patient…we're doing the best we can."

Thomas slowly nods before returning to his seat, the wrenching pain in his gut only growing. It wasn't the poison, it was this feeling of dread and helplessness. He was weak, tired and didn't have access to all of his pokemon and his weapon, he was very far out of his comfort zone. Thomas hears a snicker in the back of his mind.

'_I could save them, all of them. Just let me have control for a time, no one will die and everyone will be back with you.'_ The voice fades away once again, this time laughing maniacally. Thomas clenched his teeth and gripped the armrest, the darkness was getting stronger. He forces the darkness down, Rebecca doing her best to comfort him, but he knew the darkness would eventually surface once again.

~xXx~

Xent returned from his most recent victory, but things were steadily getting worse and worse. Both of his pokémon were nearly taken out in the last fight since the opposing trainer had a type advantage over them. This normally wouldn't have been a problem if his pokemon were in top shape, but they were far from it. The throh and swanna nearly killed his pokemon, a thought that filled Xent with both rage, and dread at the same time. Zia and his flareon did their best to fight, but eventually, Xent couldn't take seeing his pokemon on the brink of death any longer. Xent ran right into the battle to save them, he would die first before he lost them. That was when the pokemon were conflicted to kill Xent first or take out his pokemon first. That proved to be their downfall though, Xent quickly took out one of the pokemon in the small time it was distracted, giving Zia and his flareon the opportunity to take out the remaining pokemon.

The trainer surrendered at that point, seeing as he had no shield left. Xent still came over and started his beat down with a crack across the trainer's jaw with one of his crowbars. Luckily for the beat trainer, Zia stopped Xent from killing him. He sat himself down on the rusty, dirty bed, his body still shaking from the adrenaline rush he got from the fight. Zia and his flareon take a spot on either side of him. The flareon curled up and fell asleep while Zia gently nuzzled his face to try and calm him down. He smiled a bit and gently scratched her under the chin, getting a soft purr from her. His mind was still on their situation though. In the last 48 hours, they had been in four battles. The amount of rest they got was decent, but the food they got came in small amounts, and had very little, if any nutrition, nutrition his pokemon desperately needed. Normal battles were one thing, but these battles were taking their toll. Maybe that's why he beat the trainer up so bad, he wanted the bastard to feel the same pain his pokemon had.

He hated this feeling, feeling helpless in the face of any force. He had felt it many times before when he was growing up. It's what practically drove him to do what he did. He would keep fighting though, he didn't want to simply give in to this feeling of despair, and he couldn't. He looked at his two pokemon snoozing beside him. They counted on him to be strong, just like he did on them. He looked towards the lock he had tried to pick so many times, but this lock was a mix of old fashioned and high tech, something he needed tools to unlock, tools he didn't have. His thoughts then went to everyone else, Sarah, Radara, his pokemon and her pokemon. He needed to find some way out for all of them, or die trying. He clenched the edge of the bed in anger as his body shook with anger. Zia looked up at him and could see all of the emotion welling up inside him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, which he returned, burying his face into her hair. He just needed to get them out of here.

~xXx~

Kanto Region

A machamp and a lucario watched a news feed about their recent fight with the Rangers of the area. The reporter stating that the pokémon who attacked was the fault of a device similar to the one used in the Unova region.

The Machamp laughed as he ate his popcorn with one hand while he held his drink in the other. He raised the volume of the TV with one of his remaining arm. (These idiots think we're under some influence.)

The Lucario takes the popcorn from the Machamp. _'It's always easy to blame something else instead of saying that pokémon did it of their own volition. The amount of belief the humans have in their superiority is disgusting. Hey meat bag, switch to that channel with that underground battle you told us about.'_ The Lucario threw some popcorn at a human at a laptop. The human flinches a bit before he went to work bringing up the video feed, soon pulling it up on the TV.

As they watched the battle, the Alakazam walked in, talking with the blaziken until he stops when he sees the video. He is about to dismiss it until he notices the next battle come up and finds a female trailer that looks very familiar. He thinks back to the battle at Ice Island and recalls it is the same girl who traveled with the watcher. He then sees an espeon fighting with her. His temper instantly sky rockets as he sees her fighting in such a disgusting battle. From what he could tell though, she was restrained, very restrained. He could definitely see she was still a cut above the rest of the pokémon there, but she should be much more powerful.

'_WHERE IS THIS FEED COMING FROM?!' _The Alakazam's booming voice echoes through all their heads, making them all wince in pain. The human cowers behind his laptop, the shock of the psychic wave causing his nose to bleed.

(DON'T SCREAM AT US WHEN WE DON'T KNOW YOU ASS!) The Machamp gets up, shaking his fist at him.

'_Human, you better tell him soon otherwise you may not survive the next question.' _The Lucario gets up slowly.

The man gets on his laptop, trying as fast as his computer would allow to find out anything he can find. He begins to wet himself as the Alakazam floats closer and closer to him. He knew he was only alive because of his computer skills. Now he prayed that he could be of use to them to keep him alive. He typed faster and faster, so much that any person witnessing it would think he was randomly typing out letters on the computer. His eyes widened as he discovered more and more of just what was keeping him from discovering where the espeon was. "P-please master I-I need my porygons t-to get in, th-the firewall they have set up isn't s-something I can break through w-without them."

The Lucario sighed and shook his head, getting the two poke balls out of the man's bag and tossed them to the frightened human. He almost dropped the poke balls but managed to catch them. He clicked the buttons on each ball but instead of opening, a USB stick popped out of both of them. He shuddered as he felt the Alakazam's power grow with his rage, watch as the two porygons appear on his monitor in the symbols of Alpha and Beta. He quickly punches in the commands and they got to work, his life depending on their success. The two porygons protect each other as they begin to break down the firewall and in the process meeting the other porygon. The duo makes short work of the single pokémon and began tracing the signal. He begins to sweat profusely as he feels the Alakazam hovering over his shoulder, and pees his pants once more when the powerful psychic grabs the man's shoulder and dig his claws into the tender flesh.

'_That insolent, fucking bitch. She was told to leave him alone, but this has her work written all fucking over it. I warned her to leave my love alone, but now she will pay for this, I will make her plead for death by the time I'm done with her.' _He looks at the human and his voice enters his mind. _'I give you one hour. Find the people who can use this information and get it to them. Have them rescue her. If you don't, my friends won't be very nice about how they rip you apart. Very. Slowly. Hurry, the clock is ticking.'_

He brings back his pokémon, closes his laptop and runs off. The Lucario and Machamp get ready to give chase but the Alakazam stops them, pushing both back in their chairs._ 'No he has…30 minutes, if he hasn't completed his task, you can do as you please with him.'_ He grinned. Both of the pokémon look at each other, rather annoyed and mad at the fact that they had finally got a technologically savvy human, only to have to kill him and find another one.

-x-

The man ran like a zubat out of hell along the dirt road. After a bit he made it to a small Pokémon Center and hopes to Mew that it has wifi.

The nurse of the center asked, "Is there any-"

"A-all I need is wifi, please tell me you have it!" He quickly interrupts her.

The way he looked gave her pause as he asked again in a distressed tone. She quickly nods yes and he quickly opens his laptop and connects. He gave his pokémon the information and sent them to a few friends, along to a group of conspiracy theorists he knew. He prayed hard that everything would work out and he could live to see another day. He looked at his watch and sighed in relief, 39 minutes. He believed himself to be safe and relaxed back, finally catching his breath after this all started. The Nurse gasped suddenly as a shadow falls beside him with a loud thump while a Lucario appears behind the Nurse. He shivers, but doesn't look.

"He…he said i-if I did it in l-less than an hour I-I would live!" he choked out as the Machamp began to squeeze his arm around the much smaller human's neck.

'_He said a half-hour, and you didn't do it in time. I am sorry you have to die, but he's the boss and we have to listen to him.'_ With a swift twist, the man's neck snapped.

The Nurse Joy screamed but it was instantly cut off by the Lucario. He grabbed her and covered her mouth, smiling as he forced her to look at him. _'Now now, no need to cry and scream yet, I'm about to give you a reason to REALLY scream.'_ He shoved her to the ground behind the counter and tore her clothes off. The Machamp sighed and shook his head, he had seen this before. He felt sorry for the Nurse, he would have just given her a quick death. Some trainers come in and scream at the sight of the dead man. They all bark out orders, telling him to stand down and such. He laughs and flexes his massive muscles, big even for a Machamp wishing they could understand him, wanting them to release all of their pokémon all at once. Maybe then he might actually to put some effort into the fight.

The trainers finally release their pokémon and charge, a ninetales leading the group. The Machamp roars out in rage recalling the ninetales and lucario from Ice Island, taking out his rage on the one before him now. He grabbed the fire fox's tails and ripped them off its body, making blood spray everywhere. Everything after that was a massacre in terms of the battle. The Lucario was to busy having fun with the Nurse whose moans barely echo through the screams of pain.

The Lucario howls in pleasure as he continues raping the nurse then growls in her _ear 'If you carry my seed, I'll let you live.'_ The Nurse is in too much pain to reply, but understands her position and continues to let the Lucario rape her as he please. As he continues fucking her without mercy, he licks her bouncing tits as well as nipping them. She gasps out in pain as he digs her sharp claws into her thighs, making each puncture continuously leak blood. His tongue hangs out as he sees her aura become filled with terror as she does her best to try and not enjoy the rape. He pulls out of her and forces her face first into the floor, raising her hips and plunging into her once more.

He sees a trainer get behind the counter and grins as the large hands of the Machamp grabs the trainer. The trainer cries out for his mother before his voice is cut off by a loud ripping sound, followed by the splatter of blood.

'_Do you hear that my whore? That is the sounds of what is to come. All humans and pokémon who fight us, can and WILL be destroyed by us.'_ He growled lustfully as his knot grows to its full size and slaps against her bloody pussy. He rams it in, taking her with a few more thrusts before howling in pleasure, cumming hard inside her. Without care, he rips out his knot, causing her to cry out in pain. She collapses to the floor, her pussy leaking of blood and cum. A manectric makes it behind the counter, only to see the Lucario there. The Lucario grins at the sight, it's a female.

'_Clean me and I'll let you live.'_ He grinned. She shivered in fear, if he was anywhere nearly as strong as the Machamp, she stood absolutely no chance. She nodded and fearfully approached the Lucario before she licked the Lucario's cock clean of any leftover blood and cum. After she finished, she is suddenly yanked away by the Machamp and caught in a headlock. She whimpers loudly and squirms.

(Y-you said you w-would let m-me live.) He cried.

The Lucario chuckled and patted her cheek. _'I will let you live, if you promise to raise your tail when I ask you, and for anyone I say to do so for, no questions asked. If I say let my Machamp friend fuck you in both holes at once, you let him. So long as you do not hesitate, you will live. Understand?'_ he asked with a grin. He caresses her face, but she shivers in fear at his touch.

(Y-Yes…m-master.) She choked.

(Well you suck.) The Machamp growled and dropped the manectric, letting her fall to the cold, hard floor.

-x-

The Alakazam watches the latest breaking news feeds. "We are live at a Pokémon Center in a small town known as Rukarn where a gruesome scene has unfolded. The bodies of many trainers and the pokémon have been discovered in what has made out to be a brutal massacre. Law enforcement has also found the body of a missing employee of Silph Co. whom has disappeared two weeks ago. The only survivor is a nurse Joy who was brutally raped and is most likely traumatized from whatever occurred in the center. She is in stable condition, but she has multiple bruises and cuts all over her body and hasn't spoken ever since the police took her to the nearest hospital. We will continue to follow the situation as it progresses. Back to you Susan."

The Alakazam smiled as he changed the channel, knowing full well that the human must have done what he was supposed to, just not in the time he was supposed to do it. His main concern though was that his espeon received the help she needed. Soon, his love will be free, and she would know that he did it for her. He would soon have his dear lover calling his name with her voice filled with passion. His thoughts then turned to that bitch. His smile grew into a sadistic one, his thoughts turning to what he would do to her once he got his claws on her. He would make sure that she lived to regret she ever even touched his love.

~xXx~

Unova Region

Amy continued to type through the endless piles of information, but sorting out the useful from the useless was very time consuming and difficult. Her concentration was broken when she saw the symbols Alpha and Beta appear on her screen and soon recognized what they were, Porygons. They started tearing down her firewalls and security protocols. Then, files start popping up left and right, her eyes straining to keep up with reading each title before it was covered up by another file. One such file labeled "The Under Ground Cage" did catch her eye though. She quickly pulled it up before it could get covered by the next wave of data. She was wary as she observed the information, but aside from breaking into her computer to give her this data, the porygons weren't doing anything to harm it. She compared her notes and information with the newly required data, and everything checked out aside from the information she needed to locate the underground arena. She immediately turned to go tell Ken, only to leap out of her seat of someone having already been right behind her.

"G-GEEZ DON'T DO THAT!" She panted, holding her chest as some papers fell on her, completely surprised at the lucario who had sneak up behind her.

'_Did you find something?'_ She asked softly. _'Judging from your aura, you got really excited in a good way, so I came over her to see what you discovered.'_

Amy sighed and got up, brushing away any dust and scrap paper that clung to her. "I think I've just discovered where your friends are." She said, going back on her computer and pulling up the file again. "It looks like they're in an old waterway very far below the city…it will take some time to get down there but-" Amy hears the sounds of something dashing by and turns around, the lucario no longer is sight as she looks around. "Damn…she's fast." Amy muttered. She starts looking over the data further as she waits for Rebecca to bring Thomas or Ken. She notices more information about groups of pokemon in the Kanto and Johto region that seem to be running things, but they aren't directly tied to the underground arena in the city. She also found more data on Thomas, but just general data, nothing that would explain how he could do what he does. Before she could dig any deeper though, someone tapped on her shoulder, causing her to jump once again. She turned to find Ken and Rebecca standing there.

"Rebecca says you found something?" He asked with a raised brow.

Amy blinked a bit, catching her breath. "T-Two porygons hacked my laptop, but gave me this data…it seems like…this is what we need to find the arena." She pointed to the screen while looking at Thomas who had joined them a few seconds prior. A wave of relief washed over his face, a smile now replacing the frown that Amy had first seen him with. She downloads the data to a SD card before popping it out of her computer and handing it to Ken. He took the card and plugged it into his locator. A ranger usually used this device to track the migrations of wild pokémon, but right now he needed it for something else. Amy and her friends had modified it to do much more than that, and with the SD card, they would have the location of the arena soon.

Once the locator beeped in on the location of the arena he grinned, touched a few keys and called up his squad, giving them the location of an abandoned water treatment plant. Once everything was set, Thomas followed Ken out of the room, but his posture is different. Now that he knew that his friends were located, he could finally do something that didn't involve sitting around helpless.

Amy stayed behind to wrap things up on her end, but she went over a few more files, some a bit interesting. There was an article from the 19th century of Johto where a group called the Knights of Arceus were hunting an immortal warrior of some sort…who had always eluded them for centuries. She paused for a bit at this, but quickly packed her things up, taking the two porygons in USB poke balls before closing her laptop. She hurried though, she felt as if someone was watching her.

Meanwhile, a man was watching from a room, but hidden by the shadows. He pressed on the ear piece in his right ear. "Yes sir, I have found the demon." He said quietly. "…Yes I understand she is charge and we will follow her orders, but isn't this the best…Yes I understand…and the girl with the information?...I understand. Delta out." Delta leaves, knowing that most would not be here when he got back. He wanted to save those who he thought could help the cause, but orders were absolute, and he did not want to end up like the last group who disobeyed and followed Samael. He could tell the demon had recovered much, but the poison should still be in effect, so something had to have happened to help him recover. He certainly wasn't at full strength, but he looked ready to fight. He contemplated trying to kill the demon now, but he decided against it, he would follow King Faraday's orders to the letter.

~xXx~

Radara lay exhausted on the dirty bed, but finally her stomach was full thanks to a good spin of the prize wheel. Now though, her thoughts turned to the next fight, not knowing who it was going to be was nerve wracking to say the least. She shook her head a bit to try and get her mind off it, but her thoughts took another turn she didn't want to take. Thomas. She hoped to Arceus he wasn't going to try anything stupid, like come in here alone to try and rescue them all…but she knew he would, it was his nature. He would do it even without his pokémon that may have been sold off by now, or his sword. She was brought of her pondering as the door opened. Sarah and mienshao quickly got to their feet but not nearly as fast as they normally would. It was a man with a granbull who set some poke food on the ground on top of a pillow.

"The espeon comes with me. Don't worry the bombs on the collars has been turned off, but we can turn it back on at any time." He said with a smirked.

"Go Radara, we'll be fine." She said with a tired smile, taking the poke food and the pillow before lying on the filthy bed.

Radara sighed and followed them down a few hallways and then a couple stairways, but at every corner there was either just a pokemon or a pokemon and a human. Radara sees the luxray that had paralyzed her back at the hotel and immediately extends her claws and leaps, aiming for his throat.

Her fatigue was getting the best of her as the granbull grabbed Radara and held her back with a chuckle. (Looks like ya got a fan.)

The luxray just sighed. (It wasn't personal dear, I was just doing my job.)

(It was plenty personal for me!) She snarled as the granbull carried her away.

The granbull carries her the rest of the way, Radara struggling the whole time. When they walked through a large, metal door, it was the complete opposite of what she was used to seeing down here. It was a large room that was completely furnished, making it look as if she were now inside a mansion of some kind. She expected to see some sort of fat, disgusting human with a pet pokémon, but all she saw was a large pile of pillows. Then from that pile came a voice.

"Come closer Radara, I won't bite you, unless you like that sort of thing." A female voice giggled.

Radara blinked before she walked cautiously forward. While the voice was female, it wasn't entirely… human. She walked around the pile of pillows expecting to see a human, but what she saw caught her off guard, it was an absol.

"I'm the one in charge here, in case you're wondering. But this spot was given to me. And before you ask why you're here, I wanted to know just why she wanted you here." She stretched on the pillows, digging in her claws a bit. "She really hates you, she paid me 5 million just to bring you all here. From what I can tell, she's restraining something in you, but she's not here if you're wondering, she just requested we give her the means to watch." She giggled. "She expected your human to be with you, the one called Thomas, but with all the others we got, you were an added bonus." She grinned. She hopped off the mound of pillows and walked over to a control panel, the buttons on it were rather large, but just the right size for her paws.

"I wasn't always like this believe it or not, I was a contest pokemon. I belonged to a son who was in a family of Contest trainers. My mother and father were also contest pokemon. He was kind to me, he made sure I knew I was his favorite, and even taught me how to speak English, even though it was quiet difficult."

Radara bit her lip, she had thought it impossible up until now, but seeing her talk so fluently in english, there was no way to deny that it was possible.

Radara huffed a bit, planning to try and get the upper hand in the conversation, if anything to try and tick her off.

'_So are you expecting me to feel sorry for you? That your trainer is dead? And now you expect us to fight for you own twisted entertainment?'_ She growled, her claws cutting into the floor beneath her.

She turned to Radara with a quizzical look before laughing "Who ever said he was dead? He is alive and well and works for me here. He could run this place himself, but he gave it to me. He's very faithful and loving to me, as I am to him. It began a few years back, he was working his way up the ranks in the Contest standings. We had to keep it all a secret from society of course. We were lovers, but when our secret was exposed, everyone saw it as rape. Fools, as if a human could rape a pokémon. You know full well what we are capable of, can humans compare to that? Heh, definitely not. Now his family was accepting of our relationship, but publicly they had to shun and disown him. However, they helped get him his pokémon back and escape right before his trial. They gave us what they could before sending us on our way. As you can imagine, it was hard on both of us from then on." She wiped a tear from her eyes with her foreleg.

"He was a fugitive from the law, so he could no longer do sanctioned battles or get a proper job that required ID. So, after we went through a few team memberships and underground fights, we decided to start this little operation. What we later realized was the fact that we could put the scum in their place. Those who judged us simply because we viewed love differently, we put in the ground." She grinned sadistically, showing her razor sharp fangs. "We made them fight for their lives. We hunted those who banned our love. It wasn't all the hard, they preached daily the word of Arceus, not to mention they were always on the hunt for 'heretics'. Self-righteous hypocrites. Once they were in the ring, all their belief and morals went out the window. While we rarely kill anyone here, I did take much pleasure in seeing them die the way they deserved. We do however like to milk a bit of extra money from them if possible, if their family has the cash to put up." She smiled further as she turned to look at him after checking something, waiting for something.

"Who knew there were so many who thought fights should be like this? There was still the average trainer who merely wanted a quick buck and didn't care how it was made, and they did whatever it took to win. But with the high end trainers, they got what was coming to them. They don't know what it's like to lose everything like we do. So, we shared with them a bit of our pain. Yes, you can say I'm a bad mon, that what I am doing is wrong, but in the end, it's only for my mate and I." She grinned. "And believe me, I know who and what you and your human are. She told me all about you, that you're both demons that need to simply die, wiped clean from the face of earth." She laughed. Radara feels her stomach drop with each second the absol talked, she didn't anticipate all this.

"Do not worry though, I won't sell you out. Though a group called the Knights of Arceus did come by for you. They are a rather ridiculous group of fools, no sense of humor what so ever. They came here asking for you, I said for 4 million, they could have you. Yet, they refused, babbling about that it was our 'duty' to humanity to hand you over. You may think we are unguarded down here, but we are far from that." She grinned, pressing a large blue button on the control panel. 5 large TVs were lowered into the room, all turning on to reveal different video feeds. One TV showed a team of men with flash lights, completely unaware they were being watched. Then without warning, multiple figures jumped from the shadows, ambushing the group. They stood little chance, within a 15 seconds all the flashlights were out and the humans were no longer visible. Then the lights to the tunnel lights came on, revealing a hitmonlee the only one standing, but surrendering immediately when he sees his trainer with a blade to his throat.

"Come, you will see what I do with people who do not understand. Follow me." She walked to the wall and pushed a panel on it. The wall slid aside, revealing a platform that overlooked the arena. In the arena, the knights stood with their hands bound, but the guards lay their weapons and pokémon a their feet. The guards exit the arena before a Xatu cut the ropes that bound their hands.

One of the Knights yelled up at the absol with a raised fist. "You WILL regret disobeying the Knights! Your life is forfeit!"

"And why should I be afraid of you? You didn't even last against a fraction of the power I control?" She scoffed.

All of the Knights were startled at what they heard but the one who first spoke quickly shot back "Where is you trainer!? Are they too much of a coward to show themselves!?" She shouts.

She sighed and shook her head "You know I was going to let you live, just simply rough you up a bit before releasing you. After that comment though, I think I'll teach you a much HARSHER lesson." She grinned. "Pokémon are equals, if not superior to fools like you. Mark sweetie, use Squad B and make sure they know they can have as much fun as they want. And you idiots down there, if you win this little battle, you can leave in one piece and back to whatever person you work for." She smiled.

The knights all exchanged nervous glances before one spoke up "And if we lose?"

She gave them a bone chilling, toothy grin. "You die."

-x-

The battle, if it could be called that, was gruesome. The fight was against two dragonites and a charizard. The Knights and their pokémon were extremely outclassed in terms of power. The charizard set one of the knights on fire, causing the man to scream in agony. He jumped off the ledge in an attempt to get to the rushing water below, but the charizard wasn't merciful enough to let him. He flew down, grabbed the man and flew right back up, slamming the human between himself and the wall. The impact shattered all of the knight's bones and flattened his body, making a sickening thud. As the charizard pulled back, its entire chest was coated in blood. The charred and mangled mess of the knight remained stuck to the crater in the wall before peeling off and falling to the turbulent waters below. One of the dragonites ripped a knight's arm completely from his body before using it to beat the knight to death like a bludgeon. Only one more knight remained and he fell to his knees, begging to Arceus for his life before a dragonite used and Ice beam to freeze the man solid, then used iron tail to smash him to pieces.

-x-

During the whole fight, the absol looked rather bored, and even yawned at during it. Radara had seen her share of brutality over her long life, but even she was questioning the meaning of this.

'_Do you seriously get money for this!?'_ She growled.

The absol giggled and walked back to her pile of pillows, flopping on her back and began to play with a tassel on the corner of a small pillow like a meowth would.

"No, not really. You see, those pokémon were to be put down after being abused by humans for a time. So you can imagine that they have a… dislike for humans." She smiled, biting at the tassel. "This however lets them…'express' themselves as much as they wish. I don't care for this part of the job, but this is to send a message out to all that would come after us. We are not fools, and we will fight back if need be."

_'So are you going to use us like toys to entertain yourself? If you do not bend to ANYONE'S will, why would you carry out what that liepard asked you to do?'_

She looked at Radara with a growl, her eyes glowing a bright red. "It was so she didn't kill my love. I don't care about anything but his life, and I will do whatever is necessary to protect him. Everything here would mean nothing to me without him, if he died, I would kill myself as well, I could not live without him. And to answer your question, no you won't be fighting Squad B. You will be fighting a trainer who has been on quite the winning streak. I believe his name is Xent. If you want to walk out of here, you need to win. Otherwise, you stay. Oh and each of set of pokémon you came with will be auctioned off as you fight, we'll even be showing it on the screen in the arena while you fight. That liepard made it very clear that all of you should know that. If you both survive long enough, you can go free, but at the price of your pokémon. You will entertain us…and the fools out there… so he may live." she looked away with a sad sigh "Leave, your audience with me is over." She turned away. She summoned the trainer and his granbull to take Radara away who didn't fight back, only following them through the series of hallways. During her walk, her mind raced.

'_We could all be free but….at the cost of everyone's Pokémon…would Xent fight them? To save his pokémon? No he wouldn't…he had feelings for Sarah, but even then he wouldn't. He may be a stubborn and rash, but he was….considerate, he wouldn't do things at the cost of others if he could help it. If they tried to escape, the guards would be too much for them in their weakened state.'_ She prayed that a miracle would happen, and soon.


	25. Chapter 25

Watcher of Arceus

Author Notes:

-x- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'_Character Thought'_

(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

~xXx~

Chapter 25

As clouds began to gather overhead, a group of rangers along with a swat team were gathering near the old water treatment plant, all the while a camera crew was recording anything that may be crucial for their story. Ken was….particularly livid that they were brought here. The swat commander had told him he had little choice, that they were supposed to be doing an expose on the operation. To Ken, it was probably the worst time it could happen. If they were not allowed to come along, it would raise to many questions as to why this whole operation was happening in the first place.

Thomas looked apprehensively at the camera crew, this was one of the last things he needed. Thankfully, he knew this trick to deal with such a problem. He had learned it in his previous lifetime while technology was just beginning to rise. With the limited amount of power he had access to, he was able to turn off most devices, but if his power was at its fullest, he would easily be able to fry any electronic. As he looked at the swat team and squad of rangers, he bit his lip, it just reminded him how he hated relying on others, he should be able to do this on his own.

A dark voice began to echo in his mind "_And look at where it has got you. When you're alone, you fail, just as helpless as a baby rattata at birth. Now don't give your sob story, I've been in here along enough to know it. You do horrible on your own, you barely win at all, the only possible thing you're good for is running_. _When you fight, you always seem to just sob and despair, whining like a hungry poochyena about how painful it is. Yet it is what you truly are, a warrior. Don't give me that self-righteous tone that you're not. You were made to protect all of the legendaries, and serve as Arceus's sword and shield. YOU ARE A LIVING WEAPON! Get over your near dead race and stop running from what you really are. If you are scared to do what is needed to be done, then step aside and let me show you how things are taken care of." _The laughter began to fade after that, leaving Thomas clenching his fists from anger and frustration.

That is when reality hits him. The darkness is him. He wants nothing more to blame the enemy infecting him, but after what the voice said, and how he said it, there was no denying it. If it was really him, he would have it purged from him, or ask Arceus to banish it from his soul. Yet, he knew it was his own, darker side. It was something that all things with a soul had to live with. All the taint within him had down was merely let it make itself known. What you truly desire, and what you wish you could do. Even Radara was beginning to show signs of her struggle. He had to control these dark impulses and prevent them from consuming him. He felt Rebecca try and soothe him with some of her aura, he smiled and gently stroked her back in thanks, but he knew it was still there, as it always would.

Ken walked up to Thomas, his face showing concern. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

Thomas smiled a bit tiredly, but it was a confident one. "Yeah, I am. Look I don't have my usual weapon on me and my only pokémon is Rebecca. You wouldn't happen to have an extra riot shield or baton?"

Ken smirked and gave Thomas a steel baton from his side, having plenty of spares back at his truck. "It's not much, but it is good for close combat, you know how to use it right?"

Thomas grinned spun the baton in his fingers a bit, remembering the training he gave Sarah with her own weapons. "Yeah, this will do just fine. Are you positive that you can rely on those maps you have?"

Ken sighed and scratched his head. "Honestly, no. I'm pretty sure we'll have to keep in contact with Amy and her team. I know they get their signal out of the tunnels by hardline, and after it gets out of the tunnels, it hijacks the feed on a satellite after that. Normally we would be able to find it, but in a city like this, we may as well be looking for a needle in a barn of hay. This city was meant to be a huge metropolis of the future, and yet there are still secrets that people do not want to know. We have to go with what we got, and pray we can avoid any guards they have set up in advance. Until then, you're with me. Up ahead there are three paths that lead deeper into the sewer system, so we'll have to split up into three teams. We'll take the one that looks like leads deeper into the city. Group B will take the sewer line." That drew many groans from group B. "Look, on the bright side, you could get a grimer or a muk, it's allowed." That even drew more complaints from group B.

"As I said, group B will take the other path through the city. Also, I hate to do this, but radio silence will be in effect. Chances are, they would be able to hear our transmissions. Use only your psychic pokémon to communicate with each other. If you are ambushed and can't handle it, pull out, as fast as you can." The surprise on the men's faces is very clear.

"We are not an attacking force, we will be underground in unfamiliar territory, and help won't be coming for us and you all know why." The men look at each other, knowing the harsh truth. The reporter pops up with a smile on his face.

"Ranger Ken, are you sure on your information on these so called illegal Pokémon battles? You seem to be a bit unsure." He had his mic near ken, waiting for an answer.

"I tell this on ever mission, anything could happen. Also, I hate writing to families that their son, daughter, husband, wife, father or mother has died in the line of duty. It's never easy to send people into deadly situations, but someone has to do it, and if I can reduce the chance of someone getting hurt or dying I will do it. On that note, you're with group B, they brought you, they're responsible for you." Ken shoved the reporter towards the other group. The man glared at Ken, but didn't reply and merely turned away as group B began to tidy themselves up as best they could.

As Ken returned from that little scruff, he noticed two new personal to his group. A male and female he had never seen before. "Names." Is all he says to them, his tone frank. He had noticed Thomas eyeing them, while Rebecca looked as if she was ready for an ambush right here.

"I am Robert from the Main office, this is Sheryl. We were assigned to back you up, these orders came from the top." Both of them looked too ridged to be rangers, Ken had to guess military.

"You're with group A." Ken replied.

"But sir, we were told to-"

Ken cuts him off before he can finish "You're with group A. I am in command here, not top brass. And I know why you are here, to spy. I couldn't give two flying sperrow shits about your orders. You will do as I say or you can stay here. Understood?"

Both look at each other, Robert went to say something but Sheryl stopped him. "We are sorry sir, but you are right, our orders come from the top, but in the operation, the field commander's orders are absolute. We will follow your orders, but we have to report this to the top, it will not look good for you sir."

Ken just had to laugh at that. "If they wanted me gone, I would be working in the arctic by now. I get results, and that's all they care about. Now get moving green horns." As they leave, he signals a ranger from group A. "Keep an eye on them." He whispered "I don't trust them, usual spies from the top don't act like that. They also don't tell who they work for." The other ranger nods before he rejoins group A.

After Ken double checked his gear, he walked over to his group and Thomas "Ok kids, time for a field trip. Remember to hit the bathroom now because we aren't stopping at McEats on the way." Many had to laugh at it, one even said 'Yes daddy.'. Thomas smiled at the humor. Once everything was set, they moved into one of the three tunnels, Thomas more than determined to save Radara and the others.

~xXx~

As group A leaves, Robert grabbed Sheryl and harshly whispered to her "We were told not to let the demon out of our sight, why didn't you fight more to stay in that group?!"

Sheryl looked at him with an extremely harsh glare, if looks could kill, he would be dead. "My orders are to follow him, but not make contact. I cannot blow my cover. He would had attack us if he knew what we were, if not his lapdog lucario would have seen right through us. If you are discovered be him or his Pokémon, you break off and go for help. You do NOT MAKE CONTACT! He and his kind are the reason we exist, to stop his evil. He is the last for a reason, he is the most deadly and clever of them all. You think he has survived for so long because of luck? Too many of us have underestimated him and wound up dead. I will not. Until I get the order, or I have a full squad of elite knights with me, I will not make contact. As you won't. Also, if you ever grab me like that again, I WILL shove your weapon down your throat so far that when I shove your Pokémon up your dead ass they'll get impaled by it. Understood, SQUIRE?"

He shook a bit, before he gulped and nodded "Yes, I do sir."

"Now hurry, they already don't trust us. We end this underground operation, then we resume our mission."

~xXx~

As Xent walked down the corridor to the arena, he couldn't help but think about the discussion he had with the absol bitch….

-x-

"So, you are the one that was brought in with the others." The absol said as she rested on her mountain of pillows.

Xent paused for a moment, this wasn't the first time he had heard a pokémon speak English, Felicia had a Blaziken who could do the same.

The absol tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "You don't seemed surprised, you're the first who hasn't been."

Xent looked down at his make shift arm sling, the last battle he had a cactnea tried to use pin missile to take out Zia. Had it connected, Zia would have been killed. Before he got in the way, he threw one of his butterfly knives at it. The knife connected, but not fatally. The pin missiles though, they left his right shoulder in bad condition. After they won the battle, the wound was still bleeding, bad. He asked his flareon to use ember on it. Reluctantly he did, and while it did hurt like a bitch, Xent knew it was better than losing energy to blood loss, and the pain had given him a bit of a wake up call.

"I have experience in odd situations, let's just leave it at that." He said, his voice revealing restrained anger.

"Oh I would find it hard to believe if you didn't." she smiled innocently, which made Xent's gut clench more in anger. There was nothing more he wanted right now than you beat the living hell out of her.

"So, why did you call me here?" he asked with a growl.

"Oh, you just peaked my interest, seeing as you nearly killed yourself saving your zoroark, There's only a few I know who would do that." She turned over in her bed, just like a kitten in play. "Do you know who you are fighting in the next round by the way?" she asked with a small smirk, knowing the answer already.

"We don't get told who our next fight is, or is your time up hear making you head all fuzzy like your fur?" Xent retorted.

"Oh you've got a mouth on you, guess I won't tell." She stuck her tongue out slightly "But I will tell you the rules of the round. You see, we like to keep the ratings up, so we need something here and there to spice things up. In your next fight, your Pokémon and the opponent's Pokémon will be put up for auction, and if you win, you get to keep your Pokémon that haven't been auctioned off yet. If you lose, well, you've seen what happens to the losers." She laughed, tossing back her mane "But if all your Pokémon are auctioned off, both of you go free."

Xent's eyes widened with rage, clenching his fists as anger flooded his veins. "….You…bitch…" He snarled. She was about to laugh before he hollered "THEY ARE MY FAMILY YOU FUCKING CUNT!" He took a step forward. "I will find them, if you sell them off, I will find them, I will search the pits of hell if I have to, and when I find them, I'll come after you. I know who you are, what you and your trainer went through. You think you both know pain? You think you know darkness? You don't fucking know it, but when I find you, I will make you both very well acquainted." He growled, at this point his burn was beginning to bleed a bit from his clenched muscles.

At this point the absol snarled back, getting on all fours. "You know nothing about us!" she screamed. "I had no choice but to bring you here! If you want to blame anyone, blame the liepard!" She growled, her claws digging into the pillows.

Xent paused for a moment before he growled "Forced to do something? Well, I guess you are just a tool then if you do what you're told." He said, his nails digging into the flesh of his palm. "You are no better than the people you hate and exiled you. I WILL find them if you sell them, and after I do, I will make you regret not even fucking trying to resist." At this point, Xent turn and stormed towards the door, and kicked it hard, it didn't budge, but the sound it made was like thunder echoing throughout the room. The door opened, the guard who had escorted Xent here looked a bit perplexed as to what made that sound.

The absol watched as Xent left, infuriated and angered, so much that her claws were beginning to cut right through the pillows beneath her. "That fool will learn his place." She growled, but she soon grinned. "I just can't wait to see his next match."

~xXx~

Xent, Zia and his flareon all walked down the familiar tunnel to the battlefield, Xent having ripped away his sling so he could at least use his arm somewhat. The guard that escorted them here only laughed when Xent had asked who his next opponent was, this didn't bode well with his thoughts. He wanted to shut the guard up, but he was more focused on this final battle. What the absol said was still ringing in his ears, as if whoever he was facing was going to be his kryptonite. As they walked down the tunnel, Xent looked at his pokemon beside him, they had seen much better days, likes himself. Zia had a few slash wounds across her upper body, while his flareon was still weakened from the thunderbolt he had taken last round. He himself had done things like this before, but on a smaller scale. Street battles were one thing, but this was sealed off from the surface world. If there was one thing he really hated, it was being caged in. As they reached the platform, it finally dawned on him who his opponent was.

"…No…please…no…" he muttered, but when they rose into the stadium, his fear was confirmed, there, on the main screen of the stadium, was his gear, Thomas's gear…and Sarah's gear, pokemon and all. "Damn it no…NO!" he growled, gripping the crowbar in one hand and his knife in the other until his knuckles turned white.

"Do not worry, boy, they will arrive soon enough. Today, you fight for freedom, aren't you happy?" The voice came from somewhere above.

Xent growled a bit, looking at his companions to find them resting as much as they could, he couldn't blame them. "You fucking bitch, I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS! AND THAT FUCKING LIEPARD TO!" He yelled as loud as his throat would allow.

The absol only laughed at his threat, leaning her head over the railing "Oh but first, you must make it out of this arena, boy. Do you think you can win?" Her gaze then shifted to the other end of the arena. "Oh look, here's your opponent now." She grinned.

Xent turned his eyes to where she was looking, and felt his stomach drop, he felt his grip on his weapons loosen a bit. He didn't want to fight them, it was the last thing he wanted to do. He wondered, would she fight him? Would she kill him to save her pokemon?

That question was answered when he saw the look in her eyes. They were desperate, tired and worried, he could see her continuously glancing over at the screen where her things were on display.

"Sarah…please don't…" he thought to himself.

"And…BEGIN!" The absol said over the speaker in the most perky tone.

Radara and her meinsho charged in.

~xXx~

Ken was mentally cursing to himself as they worked their way through the tunnels. Every time they went down a different waterway, Thomas said they had to turn back when he sensed surveillance cameras. What made things worse was the fact that he hasn't heard from the other squads, even with the psychics at work, which could only be the work of a jamming device. With the lack of communication, they had no idea how the other groups were doing. The only reassurance he had was with Thomas's lucario, who with her aura sight allowed her to see the other teams. She continuously updated him whenever he asked, saying they were fine, but just as confused as his group was. Since the other groups had not encountered any trouble by now, he could only assume they both were off course while they we're headed in the right direction, if the cameras they kept dodging were anything to go by.

Now though, they had reached a fork in the tunnels. While he debated which way to go, a pair of shadowy hands came from the ink black darkness. They quickly reacted, pulling out their weapons and their pokemon readying themselves to attack.

"STOP! Don't attack." Thomas shouted at them before turning towards the darkness from which the hands appeared. The hands receded into the darkness before a figure floated out, revealing something Ken never though he would see in his lifetime. Darkrai, Lord of Shadows and Nightmares. What caught Ken off guard though was what Thomas said to him.

"Why are you here?"

Darkrai begins to laugh darkly, his voice echoing throughout the chamber and sending a terrible shiver down Ken's spine, as well as the rest of his men.

Thomas and Darkrai stared at each other, as if they were letting their eyes do the talking.

-x-

"Why are you here?" Thomas asks with a growl, gripping the baton in his hand.

'_It is always fun to play with you, Soular, I never tire of it. Oh do not give me that look watcher, I know your name but I care not for it. I know YOU as Soular. You do not see me with a new name each time I am reborn into this world. Though I wonder, how much fear I could instill with a name such as Ted. Look out! Here comes Ted, Lord of Darkness. It doesn't have the same ring as Darkrai does."_

Darkrai looks at the rangers, grinning as he sees them ready to attack. "_You should tell them to calm down, otherwise I may do something…interesting to them. You know I have more than enough power to smite them from this earth, my old friend." _Though he has no expression, the rangers could feel the laughter ringing from him, shaking their very core.

"I will ask again, Darkrai. Why are you here?" He asked with more venom in his voice. Thomas builds up a charge in his right hand, but holds it and hides it was best he could, the rage building within him was overwhelming.

Once more, he looks at Thomas with dancing humor in his eyes. "_You mother sent me to look after you…child."_

At that, Thomas lunges at Darkrai. Rebecca and Ken both quickly grab him, holding him to prevent inciting anything to cause a massive battle.

"_My my, quite a temper you have. I can see the years have done nothing to cool it, watcher. I was sent here to help you, despite what you may feel towards me. I am here to make sure you get to that arena in one piece, and deliver a message to you. You must save her before she falls into complete and utter darkness. One that you seem rather lost, I'll guide you to your destination. Come, follow me." _After he finished speaking, he melded back into the shadows just as smoothly as he exited them.

Thomas bites his lip before letting out a long sigh. He explained to the rangers that Darkrai was here to help them, and that they could trust him…for the duration of this situation. Many rangers of the group were perplexed how to take that, though. Ken assured them that they would be fine though, but in the back of his mind even he was having second thoughts.

Ken walks up to Thomas and pulls him to whisper in his ear. "You know what you're doing, right? I am putting the lives of my men in your hands."

Thomas looks at Ken and sighs. "The worst case scenario would be leaving you here and being seen. He hates me the most, believe me. He was told to come here by someone that he 'respects'. If he was sent here though, it is much worse than I imagined. We NEED his help if that is the case…"

Ken looks into his eyes, and what he sees disturbs him. As always, Thomas's eyes betray him, showing so much more then they should. It only leaves him wondering what Thomas is.

"I trust you Thomas…I just hope my trust pays off in the end." He looks towards his men, memorizing their faces. "Alright ladies, fix your skirts and come on. If he was gonna kill us he had plenty of time to do so. We have a mission to do, so let's get it done." He said with a slight growl.

All of them nod, but the fear in their eyes only diminished slightly. They all followed Thomas into the blinding dark.

And closer to their goal.

~xXx~

A man, garbed in a black, sleek suit exits a limousine near the old town. He spots where Ken's 'people' are. He smiled, know he would be cutting the lifeline to his greatest assets. Two SWAT vans pull up. The doors flew open before men in full riot gear file out and stand at attention in front of the vans.

"Men, we will be attacking a known internet porn source. They have child and pokemon material in there. You are to detain them by any means necessary. Do you all understand?"

To which the men all shouted. "YES SIR!"

He made sure the units he had were ones who never asked question, and did what they were told. His smile only broadened as he thought of the big bonus he would get at the end of the year.

"Alright men, MO-" he was cut off by a siren of some kind, and tries to figure out where it is coming from. One of the men shouts as he sees flames rise from the building.

The officer in charge looked as if his face was going to explode, along with his bonus.

~xXx~

Amy's fingers flew across the keyboard, trying every second to reestablish communications with the teams in the tunnels. Her worry only grows with every moment she tries, their signal was completely cut off, as if they had simply vanished. Even if there was meters and meters of concrete between them, she should at least be able to get a broken up signal from them.

A vagrant who camps down on a lower level of the building comes running up the stairs, out of breath. He was basically the watch dog for her and the rest of the people working here, in case any trouble showed up.

"T-There are 5 O's near here, and they look like they're ready to storm a castle!" As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone started downloading files from the servers as quickly as possible. Once they had the downloads running they began burning all the papers and evidence near the main entrance. Some begin calling 911, saying there is a fire in 5 various locations around the city to cause confusion in deployment. One member opens a briefcase with a device in it that fills it up for the most part. "Amy! How long should I set it for!?"

She flustered for a moment, trying to roughly estimate the amount of time they had and the time they needed. "Ah um…20 minutes should be as long as we can spare….Is everyone gone?" She begins to cough from the smoke building up from the fire. Luckily, they were in a rather old building, so there was a lack of a sprinkler system to stop any fires.

The young man coughs and nods "Y-yes, I think we will be the last to go down the chute." He smiled halfheartedly. As they ran through the halls to the escape chute, the young man knew they all would have to lay low for a while until Amy or Ken contacted them. The man quickly slips into the chute feet first, sliding out of sight for the moment. Amy grabs a string and hesitates a she stands at the entrance. She finally collected her nerves and went in, yanking the string and tearing the chute from the 4th floor, it falling down behind her. She quickly took in a deep breath as she braces for the rather stench filled impact. Just as she did so, she hit a large pile of garbage bags, which provided as good a camouflage as anyone could get in an old town. The man quickly helped Amy from the pile, looking as the flames rose and as the sounds of sirens echoed throughout the town.

"Come on we have to go, I don't know the range of that device, and the last thing we need is your data to get wiped."

She nodded, knowing that they have done everything they could to leave no trace.

~xXx~

The fire chief tried to stop the special detail of rangers and global police from going in, but they finally were able to convince him that if he wanted to keep his job, he had better let them inside. The fire had delayed them for at least 18 minutes, time that probably burnt any physical evidence. As he received word from his superiors that whoever was in this building had hacked into the local government's files and collected evidence of bribes they received. They wanted the hackers, the files or both, anything to stop from themselves getting exposed. His superiors were fools who had no idea how things should be run, yet that was why he was here, doing the dirty work. Now it looked as if Ken had joined up with a group of freak conspiracy theorists, and was a very serious threat to his superiors. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the group was more prepared than he thought, seeing as the building had been set on fire, most likely covering their escape, he just hoped they hadn't all left yet. He had to give them credit though, it was clever. They finally got to the third floor, the water pokemon having gotten most of the fire under control. He began to search for any information until a bright flash emitted from the very room he was in, blinding him for a few moments.

Once the flash receded and his vision came back, he growled "What the hell was that?!" He grabs his radio and tries to contact the people downstairs, but it's not working, nothing more than a paper weight now. He asks one of the men with him to radio below and ask what they see. The officer tries, but finds his radio doesn't work either. He quickly searches the rooms and finds the one with a lot of appliances and electronics, but they're all fried. His fists clench and shake in rage as it builds within him. He shouts in anger and kicks a burnt chair, it crumbling from the blow.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL, KEN!" he roared.

~xXx~

Xent quickly dodges a slash from Radara, she caught the bottom of his shirt though, and cuts it to ribbons. Her eyes flashed and he felt a blast of psychic, knocking him off his feet and making the wind rush out of him. He quickly reacted, flipping back, doing a somersault before landing, but he quickly fell to one knee, trying to get the air back in his lungs. Zia had been beaten by Sarah's mienshao quickly due to her fatigue and type disadvantage, his flareon trying to defend her as best he can. He risked a quick glance at the monitor, seeing his pokemon were up for auction after Sarah's.

A few minutes ago, he tried to reason with her, trying to convince her he could find all of their pokemon, he had sworn on his soul left and right, but she refused to believe him, the sight of her pokemon getting sold off was clearly driving her mad. Xent felt it to, every second only filled him with more dread as the poke balls were sold one by one. Xent snapped back to reality when Sarah commanded her mienshao and Radara to attack together.

Zia and his flareon move to try and defend Xent as he recovers, but their fatigue and lack of nutrition and medicine had started to really take its toll. His flareon's attacks had little distance to reach any more than 10 feet in front of him. Zia could no longer sustain any illusions for more than a few seconds.

Radara was using physical attacks now, actually tackling Zia with her psychic powers almost tapped out. The mienshao focused on Zia, but even he was lacking any real strength to take her out.

Xent was squaring off with Sarah, still trying to convince her that he could find them, she just needed to trust him. But he could only see insanity in her eyes as tears streamed out of them "FIGHT YOU DAMNED FOOL!" She screamed. She attempted to round house kick him, but despite Xent's fatigue had much more experience in close combat. He blocked with his shorter crowbar, intending to just wound her.

She couldn't stop the kick and her leg collided with the metal, sending a shock of pain through her. She quickly back stepped, trying to gain some distance between them before he could take the advantage. Xent stayed back though, watching her put most of her weight on her left leg.

"Sarah! Listen to me please! I WILL find them! I swear it! Please you ha-" She rushed him again, this time getting assistance from Radara. He felt a force push his right leg out from under him, sending him off balance. Sarah took the opportunity and quickly wrapped her arm around his neck in a headlock. He grunted, feeling her constrict his neck with all her strength. He gasped for air as she constricted his wind pipe, trying to pull her arm off him. She had a greater advantage though, and he couldn't muster enough energy to pry her off.

"I-I'm s-sorry S-Sarah." He said. Radara's eyes widened slightly as she gave Sarah a warning to let go, but it was too late.

Xent brought his legs out from under him, letting Sarah support his entire body weight. She did not have the strength though, and was forced to let go. In that moment, Xent planted his feet back on the ground and elbowed her hard in the stomach before quickly sending her back with a kick to her stomach, but not hard enough to seriously hurt her. He coughed and wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. "T-Thomas, if you're g-gonna play hero, now is a good time…" He panted. Not a second after, he heard a loud explosion, and the sirens go off.

~xXx~

The absol watched in anticipation while Alex laid next to her, watching as the fight unfolded. Xent had more experience fighting, that much was sure, but he was stalling. They couldn't hear his voice over the sounds of the battle, but it was clear he was trying to reason with Sarah still. Alex kept an eye on his absol though, when she betted on someone, they usually lost, it's what he noticed over the years. In this case, she betted on Sarah's team, mainly due to that espeon who was still putting on quite a show even in her rugged condition. Seeing that Xent wasn't going in for a killing blow, they sold another poke ball.

Another reason she had chosen Sarah was because once her poke balls were sold off first, she would go nuts. Her assumption was right, once her last pokemon was sold off, she went ballistic, trying to get past Xent's defenses as he back pedaled away from her attacks. More than once he had noticed Xent having to regain his balance after getting hit by an invisible force, he would guess it came from the espeon. He glanced at some other screens that weren't showing the fight, and noticed that some of them still showed static. The technicians he had sent earlier didn't report back yet, and saw the reason why. Rangers and SWAT personnel were closing in on their location.

"Dear, it looks like we'll have to leave." He sighed, motioning to the monitor. She turned her head to the screen and frowned, looking down.

"All good things must come to an end, I guess." She sighed.

A large explosion sends vibrations through the floor. She hopped off her pillow and pressed a button that activated the intercom all over the facility. "To all personnel, Rangers have infiltrated the perimeter, you are all dismissed of your duties, take what you want but at your own risk. You are all on your own now." She stated. "Oh and one more thing, release all the Squads and tell them to have the time of their life."

Alex walked up behind her and put a warming hand on her mane. "We have to take our own leave." He sighed "But, with the money we've gathered, we should be secure for a good long while." He smiled.

She looked up at him with a soft smile, gently nuzzling his hand "So long as you're with me, I don't care where we go." She said before walking over to another control panel. "I guess we should let them go then, since it doesn't matter anymore. They did make it entertaining though." She said. The door slams open and both of them whip around, fearing it's the Rangers or SWAT. Instead, it's the luxray. He gave them a hurt look though, as if to say, "You forgot me."

Alex had to laugh a bit "Are really that afraid of the espeon?" he asked, to which the luxray nodded. Alex chuckled and called him back into his poke ball. They back their supplies and money, leaving as the wall closes behind them.

~xXx~

Ken looked at his digital watch, it had been a few minutes since they all had entered the darkness, but it felt like an eternity. For all he knew, Darkrai, the God of Nightmare and Shadow could be leading them into a deep, dark hole. He needed to know where they were. "When are we going to get-" The shadows faded, and he saw where they were.

Everyone was quiet, as if they were surprised they were finally out of the inky darkness. The Rangers looked at the guards who were standing at a large, metal gate. Thomas is the first to move attacking the second the shadows fell, quickly taking down the guards before they could grasp a whole team of SWAT members and Rangers just came out of the darkness of the wall.

Everyone calls out their pokemon, as if Thomas's actions had snapped them out of their stupor. As everyone begins to do so, Darkrai decided to be the first to knock, blowing the 6 inch thick door off its hinges.

"Well you idiots come on! We've got a job to do and it's not gonna get done with us sitting here!" He yelled. His men cheered in response and began to quickly go into the facility. Ken sees Thomas and Darkrai…arguing if he saw right. He could only wonder what they were saying.

~xXx~

"WHAT THE HELL DARKRAI?! We needed the element of surprise!" Thomas began, his fist clenched in anger.

"_You have little time to save them, Soular. I know you feel who I am talking about. Now go."_ Darkrai says as he floats in front of Thomas with his arms crossed. Thomas only wondered who he was talking about for a few brief moments, but then he felt her. Radara. She was here, and close. He turns on his heels and sprints quickly down the hallway, he can feel her, after so long. Radara was afraid, very afraid. He needed to hurry.

"_Go save her, Watcher, and those you call friends. Your mother needs you to be strong, for you will not like what you will learn. Forgiveness will be needed for many, and her." _He said slowly, floating back into the darkness from where he came.

~xXx~

The rangers and the SWAT team spread throughout the base, finding many trainers. Most of which were crying, happy to be rescued, claiming they were forced to fight. Some ran off in a hurry, knowing they could not give a good reason for being there. Something bothered Ken though, there was a lack of fighting and resistance. "There should be more hostiles…whe-" A roar echoed throughout the stone halls. He cursed, he shouldn't have opened his mouth.

The battle was one of the fiercest he had ever experienced, though the wild pokemon weren't numerous, the sheer power they held made up for it.

Just as he was about to order Greg to deal with an arbok, a dragonite comes out from nowhere and slams him into the cold, stone wall. Greg gasps as pain shoots through his body and the wind is knocked out of him. He tries to regain his footing, turning his gaze upward to see the dragonites already upon him. The dragonites prepares to crush him, but is then blindsided by an aura sphere, followed by 4 more. Thomas leaps high into the air, smacking the dragon right across it's snout, bending the baton from the impact. The dragonites stumbles, then falls down the ground, out cold.

"I think I broke it, sorry about that." He said, tossing it aside taking a light breather with the hall empty. He still wasn't completely over the poison, but a quick shake of his head and a few seconds breath easily cleared up the blur in his eyes. He heard something above him though, and quickly moved over, a falling pipe just barely missing him.

As quick as he was to move out of the way though, he leaned up against the wall hard, only to fall through the damaged section into another room. He grumbled as he got up, Rebecca already at his side helping him as he turned to look into the room, finding something he never would have guessed he would ever find again.

Thomas walks through the room, ignoring the shelves and boxes filled with all sorts of odds and ends. Rebecca could only guess that this was where the group that took all the trainers stored everything of value that they had on them. She moves behind Thomas, unable to see what got his attention, but his eyes were definitely on something as they moved, being just a bit short to see over the boxes as they moved.

Thomas just grinned as he picked up what he was found. He didn't care what this group was doing with it, all that mattered was that it was now once again in his possession. He looked over the weapon, a halberd made of the same bluish metal that his own blade was out of. It was easily his own height from the tip of the spearhead that topped it, all the way down to the large sphere that served as its counterweight. The blade was still sharp, in the shape of a crescent moon, and in the middle of the shaft was some sort of bulge, but Thomas knew what secret that held as well.

"Well Gala… let's see if all that training you put me through with this paid off." He stated quietly to himself as he heard a growl behind. He closed his eyes just for a second, muttering something, before quickly raising the counterweight and thrusting it back, planting it right in the stomach of a haxorus, only to turn and slam the side of the halberd over its head.

~xXx~

Sarah hangs on for her life, trying her best not to look at the raging waters below. Xent tries to reach Sarah, reaching out with his crowbar. Despite the extra reach, Sarah can't get a grip on it. Her mienshao keeps trying to tell him something, but he can't figure out even with the gestures he was making.

He then heard a voice he hated to hear, for the main fact it was in his head. '_He said grab his legs, and with his fur extensions he can reach her.'_ It was Radara, Xent could only assume she got the collar off. He heard Zia's familiar growl as she tore her own off and stomped it into the ground.

Xent quickly grabs the mienshao's legs and lowers him as far as he can. He calls for Zia to hold him in place before returning his eyes to the situation below. Sarah grabbed onto her mienshao and hung on for dear life. Xent, with the help of Zia, began to pull her up. Xent and Zia fall back, giving them a final pull and brought them back over the edge. Sarah grabbed her mienshao and hugged him close, crying uncontrollably. The mienshao turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Xent, giving him a smug look. Xent had to laugh at that, before letting his head rest back.

Xent grabs his collar and tears it off, throwing it over the edge. He was about to close his eyes until his flareon howls out, sliding past them. Xent gets on his hands and knees as quickly as he can, raising his gaze to see charizard approaching them. "Son of a…you can't be serious." He growled. Everyone tries to rise to meet the beast before them, but their bodies are at their limits. Xent then sees a blue blur shoot past him, rushing to meet the charizard. Not far behind, Thomas followed to assist Rebecca.

Xent chuckles and shakes his head, happy to see him for once. "About time, hero."

~xXx~

Alex and his absol quietly move through their escape route, making sure not to leave any signs of their passing. She stops him and begins to growl at the darkness. A human figures walks forward, carrying a liepard.

"Move it, bitch. I will NOT let you touch him. I did as you asked." The air around them begins to swirl as she forms a twister around them. From what he was seeing through, she was using her full power.

The liepard merely laughed, shaking her head. '_Do not fear. I am here to merely say thank you. You have done as I asked word for word, and you have my thanks. Just so you know, I would never deprive the world of a love such as yours. Still it is a forbidden love, but I will let society deal with you. Now run along young kittens, go live your life for what it's worth." _She chuckled darkly.

Both Alex and his absol move around the human and liepard cautiously. Once they were past here, they made a full sprint away from her, fearful she may change her mind at any moment. Her ears twitched as she heard clapping coming from the darkness. Her human pet acts on command, quickly pulling out and unloading a weapon to where the sound was coming from. The source is soon revealed as Darkrai floats out of the darkness.

'_Tell you boy toy to settle down, Naria. I'd hate to lose my temper and make you find a new fuck toy.' _Darkrai smirks.

'_It has been a while, old friend. Did she send you? To try and fail to make me come back?'_ She scoffed at Darkrai, flicking her tail.

'_You know your companion's fate was not her fault. Nothing could have saved her. Blaming Soular will accomplish nothing.' _He told her.

'_LIES!'_ She hissed fiercely. '_SHE COULD HAVE SAVED HER! INSTEAD SHE LEFT US! SHE LEFT US IN FAVOR OF HER MOST LOVED SON! Do not tell me he is not her favorite! How else could he have lasted so long?!'_ She demanded. _'He was PROTECTED by her. Yet we receive no such protection. My companion…SHE DIED TO PROTECT MY INCARNATION! I never knew my old self…I was denied that. I was expected to die after I was born. No, I will live, but I will take all that he loves from him. And once the world is burning before his eyes and everything he treasures is gone, I will kill him then, letting him have the knowledge that he has failed Arceus, HIS mother. Then, my revenge will be complete. I knew she would send you, you were my only friend among the legendaries. Only you understood. Though you still serve her, I still see you as a friend, Darkrai, but do not try to stop me. I would hate to kill you. My powers are back, I am no longer suppressing her power anymore. Tell Soular…I am the one he truly failed.'_ She then looked up to the man. _'Let us go, our time is short my love.'_ He nods in response and begins to walk off with her.

Darkai sighed, shaking his head as he watched them leave. _'Naria…he has suffered just as much as you…'_ He then fades back into the darkness once more, as if he was never there in the first place.

~xXx~

Rebecca tried to take down the rampaging Charizard, but with her weakness to fire and the sheer power of it, she was having a lot of trouble. Whenever she and Thomas saw an opening, they would try and rush in to take down the flame lizard, but it would quickly raise its guard and prevent them from advancing. They continued this deadly dance of flames, Rebecca having a few close calls. Thomas sees it eye his friends behind him and quickly tells Rebecca to fall back and protect them. The Charizard only grins at this action, licking its lips as he stared down at Thomas.

~xXx~

The reporter had never been happier in his entire life. After 5 years of reporting about pokemon battles and contests, he was given a chance to step up and he nailed it. It was a fluff piece more than anything, but if he played it right, he could be assigned to more exclusive jobs. He was called out due to a supposed raid that the Rangers and SWAT teams were carrying out, but it turned out to be so much more. Thomas, the hero of Salton City, was there. The reporter refrained from approaching Thomas though, the lucario was very protective of him. The only person who she let near was the leader of the Rangers. Once the teams had been set up, they went into the tunnels, sadly he wasn't allowed to go with the team Thomas was with. He cursed his luck, thinking he was going to miss out on the scoop of a lifetime. It was then the explosion was heard, shaking the concrete around them. With a new direction to go at last, he and the team quickly got to the source of it. As he followed, he could just picture the big bonus he was going to get for this.

As they got closer, the sounds of battle became louder and louder. Once they finally reached the source, it was like an image from a war scene. Pokemon and human were fighting in a fierce battle, stray attacks going everywhere and shattering chunks of concrete. The reporter was more than happy to stay back and let the rangers do the fighting as he recorded it all. He followed as close as he could though, and nearly got mauled by a houndoom. A ranger quickly had his golduck fire a hydro pump and knock the fire canine out cold. The reporter thanked him, then noticed Thomas sprinting down the hall like a Zubat out of hell. He quickly followed, doing his best to avoid detection. His determination was rewarded as he came to some sort of arena, with Thomas and his lucario fighting a charizard who seemed hell bent on killing everyone.

Thomas yelled something out to the lucario with him, who nodded and backed away toward a group of people and pokemon who were struggling to get up, leaving him to fight the rampaging fire lizard alone. The charizard swiped at him, only Thomas to block with something completely unexpected. The reporter stared in awe just a bit at the halberd that Thomas was using. Although his weapon barely even started to bend, Thomas was struggling to keep his arms and leg steady.

The charizard quickly readied a fire attack and Thomas was forced to move back, jumping to the side to avoid the attack. The charizard's missed attack gave Thomas a perfect opportunity though as it had to take a quick breath to recover from what it put into the attack. The reporter's smile only grew as he watched Thomas grip the halberd and stand up straight, swinging the blade right at his foes exposed neck. The charizard was able to just barely stop the attack, catching the blade with one of his hands, but still roared out in pain as the blade cut deeply.

Thomas quickly adjusted his attack though, he didn't have the strength needed for the weapon to simply cleave through things. Pulling the bladed side back as he ducked down and spun around the opposite direction this, the heavy counter weight picking up plenty of force before it collided with the charizard's knee. It was more then enough to knock the charizard off balance as Thomas once again spun around in the back the way he was facing before, still hanging low, the spear tip of the halberd cutting into the charizard's other leg. Rebecca gave him a distraction this time as the lizard tried to swipe at him once more, only to be hit with an aura sphere, fully knocking him off balance. Thomas quickly jumped over its stomach, weapon once more raised over his head, landing one last blow with it. All the reporter could see was Thomas listing back one arm, then slamming it down, the lizard finally passing out and going completely limp.

Stunned for a few moments, the reporter could only stare, a grin spreading across his face. People would eat this up, and he could finally see a huge promotion, or at least a huge pay raise.

~xXx~

As Thomas stood over the lizard, he felt his legs wobble from the fatigue. He quickly steadied himself, though he was having a rough time just standing still. He then felt a presence flow into his mind, but it was a welcome one. He had missed the feel of her conscience so very much.

'_You never listen Soular. You always have to do things the hard way.'_ Even though she was still weak, she slowly limped her way over to him. He smiled and almost fell onto his ass, more than happy to rest his legs. She leaned in and quickly began to nuzzle him before falling into his lap. _'I didn't think…you would make it in time…' _He could feel all the fear, pain and sadness she had built up over the past few days pour into him. He could see her trying to hold back tears, but to no avail as tears began to flow out.

Xent hobbled over to him and plopped down next to him. "Took you long enough." He grumbled. Thomas was about to reply until Xent held out his hand "…Thank you…" He looked into Xent's eyes and saw…appreciation…relief…and fear. "My pokemon are the only family I have, Thomas. If they had been sold off…I would have been able to find them but…the things they would go through….I wouldn't forgive myself…you saved them from that… thank you…" Thomas looked at the hand then back to Xent. He was a stubborn man, to be sure. But for Xent to thank Thomas for this, he knew Xent valued his pokemon more than his own life, just like himself.

Thomas smirked a bit and reached out, shaking his hand. "I never thought I would hear a thanks come from you." He replied.

Xent grumbled a bit, shaking his hand before falling back, letting himself lie on the ground as Zia and his flareon curled up by his side. "Don't get used to it."

Thomas had to laugh at that as Sarah and her mienshao hugged him, both very happy to see him, and for this whole ordeal to be over.

As they sat there, catching their breath, and letting their pent up feelings flow out, the sounds of battle slowly died down, and now shouts of orders were the only thing being heard. Thankfully, the Rangers had gotten everything under control, it seemed.

Finally, after Radara had calmed down, she looked up at Thomas _'Soular... I have dire news…'_ She then goes quiet, looking away from Thomas.

"What's the matter, Radara?"

'We are not alone as we thought…' She then began to share her memories of the Liepard, resting her head on his lap as she closed her eyes. Thomas quickly understands what Darkrai was saying. She was the one who needed to be saved…once their ally, was now an enemy who wanted them dead.

~xXx~

Coria's face was beat red under hear makeup.

"These god damn rookies screw up an easy op, and now here I am, doing damned grunt work!" She thought to herself. She made quick work of any pokemon she faced, but making sure to not draw any attention from the other rangers. She still needed them to believe that she was Sheryl. She hated being this out in the open, it made her feel like a cheap trickster. The only reason she would feel right about it is if she was fighting for the cause. A mightyena tried to pounce her, but she quickly side stepped, letting it collide with the wall before jamming her tazer into its back, getting a loud yelp from it before it fell to the ground, unconscious.

As she looked over the Rangers, she had to admit they knew how to run an op. Though they weren't as well trained as her, they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. As she looked for the Demon, she saw a reporter looking at something. She went over to agent Delta who had witnessed him taking down the charizard. Both looked impressed, but also worried, knowing, knowing the Demon was not as weak as he should be. He must have received help to recover from the poison. She quickly and quietly told Delta they were leaving, there was nothing more they could do here and needed. King Faraday needed to be informed that the Demon was almost back to his full strength and with his allies.

She bit her lips as her thoughts went to Xent. How he had gotten mixed up in this mess, of all people, she would never know. All she knew was that she needed to get him away from the Demon, before he could taint Xent any further and he was marked for death by her superiors. She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't lose the last of her family.

~xXx~

{Breaking News from Castelia City}

"This just in! Rangers in conjunction with local police have exposed and stopped an illegal pokemon battle arena. It was tips from various sources that lead to the exposure of this operation where pokemon and their trainers were forced to battle to the death for the amusement of the rich and many gambling establishments. Also following said bust, many high ranking officials of the rangers and law enforcement were taken into custody after evidence of taking bribes to look the other way. We talked to the leader of the raid, Ranger Ken, whose only words on this were 'Justice is not blind today, and those who think they can hide in the shadows, take warning, you're next.'"

"That's not the most exciting part of this story though. One of our reporters was able to capture the hero of Salton fighting and defeating a charizard with his own power. He was also seen working with the Rangers before and during the operation, leading us to only assume he only fights to make things better. More as it develops. Now onto Susan with the weather."

The feed rewinds back to the fight with the charizard, an older man looking over these images very carefully. He sees a young girl with a mienshao, looking dirty, ragged and injured.

He clenched his fist, then grinned. "I'm coming for you, Sarah. Don't worry, Daddy's coming for you."

~xXx~

Author End Notes

For Starters, I am very much sorry for the longer then usual wait, very bad bout of writer's block on all ends. Secondly, for those of you really into and reading the story, I would ask a question. A while back, I started noticing some stories that included "sound tracks", a list of songs that were suppose to go hand in hand with the story. A friend shortly afterwards asked me if perhaps that would help my writing, but I don't listen to that much music. My question to those who wish to answer, what kind of music do you think fits the story, the characters, and the feel of this story.


End file.
